Lilly discontinues semagacestat

Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) stopped development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) candidate semagacestat after preliminary data from the Phase III IDENTITY and IDENTITY-2 trials showed that the oral gamma secretase inhibitor worsened clinical measures of cognition and the ability to perform activities of daily living by a significantly greater degree compared to placebo. The co-primary endpoints were measured by the ADAS-Cog11 and ADCS-ADL scales. Additionally, semagacestat was associated with an increased risk of skin cancer vs. placebo. Although dosing with semagacestat is being stopped, Lilly said it will continue to collect safety data, including cognitive scores, for at least six months. The double-blind, international trials enrolled over 2,600 patients. ...