Shares of Wyeth as well as Elan were buoyed this morning as researchers announced plans to rapidly move bapineuzumab into a late-stage trial for Alzheimer's. They now plan to launch a Phase III study in the second half of this year, months ahead of schedule, with data landing sometime in 2008. The news was particularly exciting to the analysts, who say that the companies could see a new blockbuster on the market as early as 2009. The decision to advance the work was made on the basis of interim data from a Phase II trial that is still blinded. The announcement is also significant because the researchers are in a race to gain approval for a new class of Alzheimer's drug that reduces the amount of amyloid plaques in the brain, a biomarker for Alzheimer's.
- check out the AP report on the trial
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