Lilly and AstraZeneca drop BACE inhibitor lanabecestat

Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca are shutting down Phase III studies of the Alzheimer’s treatment lanabecestat. An early look at data from two trials showed the drug was safe but unlikely to slow down the cognitive decline in people with early or mild forms of the disease. In 2014, Lilly had agreed to pay AstraZeneca up to $500 million to codevelop lanabecestat, a small molecule that blocks the activity of BACE, an enzyme that snips down ­amyloid-β. Lanabecestat adds to Lilly’s list of failed Alzheimer’s treatments, which include the internally developed BACE inhibitor LY2886721, the γ-secretase inhibitor semagacestat, and the anti-amyloid-β antibody solanezumab.