Promising Phase II results for SAGE-718 in Alzheimer's patients

US brain health specialist Sage Therapeutics (Nasdaq: SAGE) has announced the presentation of data from the Phase II LUMINARY Study that showed SAGE-718, a first-in-class, oral, positive allosteric modulator of the NMDA receptor, was generally well-tolerated and associated with improvement on multiple tests of executive performance and learning and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The encouraging data pushed Sage’s shares up 11.8% by close of trading on Friday and up a further 3.8% to $38.41 in after-hours activity.

The LUMINARY Study is part of CogNEXT, Sage’s early-stage trial platform designed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of SAGE-718 to treat cognitive deficits across a range of brain health disorders. The data will be presented during the Emerging Science Session on Tuesday, April 5, at the 74th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Seattle.