Shares in a pharma firm hit a four-year low today as trials revealed its weight loss drug fails to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Novo Nordisk had hoped to repurpose semaglutide – the active ingredient in its Wegovy and Ozempic jabs – as a groundbreaking dementia treatment after seeing early encouraging signs.
But the Danish company saw its value drop by 12 per cent as it announced data from two large clinical studies did not show a ‘statistically significant’ benefit.
Novo Nordisk examined whether the drug had an impact among patients aged 55 to 85 with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Half of the 3,808 people who took part in the study were given oral semaglutide while the other half were given a dummy drug, known as a placebo.
Researchers found that semaglutide did not significantly reduce Alzheimer’s disease progression in the group who received the drug, compared with those who were given the placebo.
‘Based on the significant unmet need in Alzheimer’s disease as well as a number of indicative data points, we felt we had a responsibility to explore semaglutide’s potential, despite a low likelihood of success,’ said Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development at Novo Nordisk.
‘While semaglutide did not demonstrate efficacy in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the extensive body of evidence supporting semaglutide continues to provide benefits for individuals with type 2 diabetes, obesity, and related comorbidities.’
Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer’s Society
Commenting on the finding, Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘It’s very disappointing that these eagerly awaited results are not what we hoped for.
‘However, no trial is wasted.
‘Every investigation helps us develop better drugs and design better trials in the future.
‘Research is hope and there are currently over 130 Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trials of which around 30 are in late-stage trials, the final step before they are considered by regulators.’
She added: ‘Despite these results, there is a critical window of opportunity to prepare for other disease-modifying treatments coming down the track.
‘The Government must invest in getting more people diagnosed at an earlier stage, as one in three people with dementia don’t currently have a diagnosis.
‘We must avoid a situation where regulators approve treatments but too many people don’t receive them because they don’t have an early and accurate diagnosis.’
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, added: ‘Today’s disappointing results on semaglutide will come as a blow for people affected by Alzheimer’s.
‘These trial results are another reminder that Alzheimer’s is driven by several different biological processes. No single approach is likely to be enough.
‘The field now needs to focus on understanding those processes in much greater detail and developing treatments that can be used together to tackle the disease from multiple angles.’
