16 Dec 2020
BACE inhibitors succeeded in stemming the tide of Aβ production in the brain, but the drugs also slightly dulled cognition and shrank the brain, bringing the trials to a screeching halt. Rather than washing their hands of a failure and moving on, researchers continue to dig through the trial data to find out exactly what happened, and perhaps even to chart a way forward for the drugs. Three recent studies all led by Michael Egan at Merck add new insight.
Verubecestat triggered a rapid atrophy that did not get worse.
This happened in amyloid-rich regions, and did not track with neurodegeneration.