Alzheimer’s jab failed to meet goal on reducing memory decline, company says

A new jab for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s has failed to show it can slow down a decline in memory and thinking, according to pharmaceutical giant Roche.The drug, gantenerumab, is an antibody medicine that held much promise as it entered phase three clinical trials.However, Roche said the drug, which is given as an injection, could not clearly be shown to slow dementia progression in two drug trials.While there was some progress, this was not statistically significant. This meant the drug could not be clearly shown to preserve people’s abilities in areas such as remembering, solving problems or personal care.Previous data had shown that gantenerumab reduces brain amyloid plaque.Abnormal levels of this naturally occurring amyloid protein clump together in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, forming plaques that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function.In September, another drug, lecanemab, was found to slow decline in the memory and thinking of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s.Alzheimer’s Research UK said those findings represented a ‘historic moment for dementia research’.The new clinical studies for Roche included more than 2,000 patients treated for more than two years in more than 30 countries worldwide.