Gantenerumab fails in rare inherited form of Alzheimer's disease

In a second disappointment for Roche (ROG: SIX) in the search for a treatment for the devastating disease, the Swiss pharma giant today announced that the gantenerumab arm of the Phase II/III DIAN-TU-001 study did not meet its primary endpoint in people who have an early-onset, inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

This form of AD, known as autosomal dominant AD (ADAD), accounts for less than 1% of all cases of the disease.

The study, sponsored by Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, USA, did not show a significant slowing of the rate of cognitive decline in people treated with gantenerumab as measured by the novel DIAN Multivariate Cognitive Endpoint, compared with placebo. Overall, gantenerumab's safety profile in DIAN-TU-001 was consistent with that from other clinical trials of the investigational medicine and no new safety issues were identified.