Lilly’s Thanksgiving Turkey: Lessons From Another Failed Alzheimer’s Program

30 Nov 2016

• By Michael McCaughan

There was nothing to be thankful about from Lilly’s disclosure that its potential Alzheimer’s therapy solanezumab failed to demonstrate significant improvement in cognition in a third large Phase III trial. But it does reinforce the wisdom of FDA’s standards for subgroup analysis in failed trials.

Eli Lilly & Co.’s day-before-Thanksgiving disclosure that its EXPEDITION3 trial of the potential Alzheimer’s therapy solanezumab failed to meet its primary endpoint didn’t give anyone reason to feel thankful over the long holiday weekend.

It was particularly bad news for Lilly, of course, whose massive investment in the project all goes for naught. The...