Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Comments on Tauriel Trial Results

AC Immune, a Swiss-based biopharmaceutical company, announced topline results this week from a Phase 2 clinical trial conducted by its partner, Genentech, that tested the company’s anti-tau antibody, semorinemab. The antibody did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint of slowing the rate of cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease. However, it did meet its primary safety endpoint with similar rates of adverse events seen between patients who received semorinemab and placebo.

“I applaud the researchers who worked so hard to get semorinemab to this stage in clinical trials. I know they are disappointed to not have better news to share with the Alzheimer’s community,” said Howard Fillit, MD, Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Office at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF). “As I often say, every well run trial is a building block to the next trial and our ultimate goal of finding a treatment to slow or even reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms.”

Additional data analyses are ongoing, and the company plans to present more complete results in the future. Among the data still-to-come are results from tau PET brain imaging that measured brain tau burden at the start and end of the 73-week trial.

“Tau tangles are a defining component of Alzheimer’s disease and one of the promising targets we invest in,” said Dr. Fillit. “As we know, Alzheimer’s has many underlying causes, which is why we fund a diverse and innovative portfolio that takes a ‘multiple shots on goal’ approach.”