AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly to co-develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drug which presently in phase 1 trial

AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly announced a worldwide agreement to co-develop MEDI1814, an antibody selective for amyloid-beta 42 (Aß42), which is currently in phase I trials as a potential disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This agreement builds on the existing collaboration related to AZD3293, a BACE inhibitor in two pivotal phase III trials.

The build-up of plaques in the brain containing the peptide amyloid-beta (Aß) is one of the characteristics of AD. MEDI1814 binds selectively to Aß42, a form of Aß which is particularly associated with the disease. MEDI1814 dose-dependently reduces levels of this peptide, potentially slowing the progression of AD.