BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Is tau the new amyloid?

Why companies converging on tau for Alzheimer’s say it’s not β amyloid all over again

June 22, 2019 12:42 AM UTC

After finally getting the message that they need to look beyond amyloid to treat Alzheimer’s disease, pharmas are lining up behind tau as the next big target. The question is whether they can pick out the lessons from the amyloid saga to avoid following the same storied path.

At least four Phase II readouts of anti-tau antibodies are on the horizon. But there remain a number of questions, from the target’s biology to how best to translate that biology, plus the beginnings of a lemming effect, that serve as warning echoes (see “How the Amyloid Hypothesis Holds its Grip”)...