Merck has demonstrated once again that what works in mice is no sure bet for what works in humans. MK-677 did what it was intended to do: raise the level of insulin-like growth factor-1 in patients suffering from Alzheimer's. But, unlike the animal study, the volunteers demonstrated no improvement in their symptoms.
"Targeting this hormone system may not be an effective approach," says study author JJ Sevigny of Merck Research Laboratories. "Importantly, it challenges the common theory that hormones may attack beta-amyloid plaque in the brain."
- read the report from Hays Pharma