Aug. 20 Quick Takes: Funding for Alzheon’s Alzheimer’s Phase III; plus Merck, FDA guidance, LumiraDx, RACE for Children, blood plasma and Novo-Evotec

Alzheon preps trial with $47M grant
NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) will provide $47 million to Alzheon Inc. over five years to conduct a Phase III study of ALZ-801 to treat early Alzheimer’s disease in patients homozygous for APOE4. Alzheon had twice sought to raise money for the trial via IPOs that were later withdrawn. ALZ-801 is a prodrug of tramiprosate, which failed in Phase III testing to treat Alzheimer’s; a subsequent analysis of pooled data from two trials suggested the candidate improved cognition in a homozygous APOE4 subgroup (see “Alzheon: Data Justify Pursuit”).

Keytruda hits in 1L esophageal caner
Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) said an interim analysis showed Keytruda pembrolizumab met the primary endpoints in the Phase III KEYNOTE-590 trial. The anti-PD-1 mAb plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for esophageal cancer improved overall survival and progression-free survival vs. chemotherapy alone...