Skip to Content

Pfizer "Disappointed" with First Results for Alzheimer’s Drug Candidate

Amyloid-recognizing drug has no effect in patients with a high-risk genetic background.

On Monday, Pfizer announced the first of four expected sets of results for its Alzheimer’s drug bapineuzumab. As Steven Romano, head of the company’s Medicines Development Group said in a release, Pfizer is “disappointed”: the drug had no effect on the cognition or day-to-day functioning of patients with the largest known genetic risk for the late-stage onset form of the disease (ApoE4 carriers).

Bapineuzumab is an antibody—a protein that selectively grabs onto a specific protein—that recognizes beta-amyloid, the protein that forms tell-tale plaques in Alzheimer’s patient’s brains (see “Brain Scan for Alzheimer’s”). Because they riddle the brains of patients with the disease, amyloid plaques are one of the major suspects in the enigmatic disease. However, whether these plaques are an instigator of Alzheimer’s or a byproduct of the disease is still a major question for the field.

The company will continue with its trials in patients who do not carry the ApoE4 genetic variant. Results are expected later this summer.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.

“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.

What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines

New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.

Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats

With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure

Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation

From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.