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- Staff Chicago Business Journal
Baxter International Inc. said a late-stage clinical study of its blood treatment for Alzheimer’s disease failed to reduce the decline in mental functions of patients.
Deerfield-based Baxter (NYSE: BAX) said its Gammagard immunoglobulin treatment, which was in phase three testing stage, failed to slow cognitive decline or preserve functional abilities in a study in the U.S. and Canada of 390 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
The company said that people who received 18 months of infusions with the drug did not show a statistically significant difference in the rate of cognitive decline than those given a placebo.
"The study missed its primary endpoints, however we remain interested by the pre-specified sub-group analyses, particularly among patients with moderate disease and those who carry a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” Ludwig Hantson, president of Baxter's BioScience business, said in a statement.
Based on these results, Baxter said it will reconsider its current approach for its Alzheimer’s program and will determine next steps after full data analyses. The current Baxter studies of Gammagard in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease will be discontinued.
The company will present additional results of the study, including imaging, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Boston this July.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. The neurodegenerative disease is characterized by progressive cognitive, functional, and behavioral impairment. Alzheimer’s is now the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 5 million people living with the disease today.
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