Dr. José Luis Molinuevo on the closure of Biogen’s clinical trials

“The closure of the clinical trials for the Aducanumab drug, announced by Biogen and Eisai, after it seems unfeasible to achieve the primary objectives, is once again bad news for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their families, and another hard blow for the scientific community. Aducanumab had shown its ability to remove amyloid beta protein plaques deposited in the brain, generating a certain impact on cognition. Hence, the results have come as a surprise.

Now, we must thank the participants, families, researchers, Biogen and Eisai, for the enormous effort spent. Only with the participation of all of them, and promoting research, we shall find an effective drug to delay or cure the disease.

On the other hand, it is time to analyze in depth the results in order to see to what extent the drug generates pathophysiological changes that can be translated into a beneficial effect in earlier phases. This new approach would maintain the possibility of continuing to work with Aducanumab and open a therapeutic window in earlier phases. ”

Dr. José Luis Molinuevo is the scientific director of the Alzheimer Prevention Program of the BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center, a research center of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.