Biogen Alzheimer's drug reignites excitement

The success of Biogen Idec's ($BIIB) closely watched antibody targeting beta amyloid proteins in Alzheimer's disease is again bringing some excitement to a category that has defeated earlier enthusiasm as drugs have failed in trials. FierceBiotech reports that in a Phase Ib study of people with a mild form of the disease, three out of four dosage levels of BIIB037 led to statistically significant reductions in beta amyloid compared to placebo after 26 weeks, and, for the two doses with enough data to measure, that effect was even greater at week 54. It points out that supporters of the approach think Biogen's antibody may simply be superior to those that have failed and that targeting mild Alzheimer's patients may prove a difference in maintaining an efficacy signal through late-stage trials. Story from FierceBiotech | More