Promising Ph II data for Myriad Genetics' Flurizan

USA-based Myriad Genetics has completed a Phase II follow-on study of its selective amyloid beta-lowering agent Flurizan (MPC-7869) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The data, which were presented at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, in Madrid, Spain, suggest that study participants taking 800mg of Flurizan experience a substantial benefit over other dose groups in the study and that this benefit continued to increase over 24 months, for each of the evaluated areas of cognition, memory loss, global function and activities of daily living.

According to Myriad, the data also suggest that, during the follow-on period from months 12 to 24, the benefit of Flurizan increases in terms of both effect size and significance, the longer patients remain on the drug. At month 24, patients on 800mg of the drug had an effect size of 72%, with a highly-significant value of p=0.0005, as measured by their global function on the CDR-sb test.

The firm's president, Adrian Hobden, said that "the results are consistent with a mode of action for Flurizan that is modifying the course of the underlying disease process." Based on this data, Myriad has advanced its development plans for Flurizan and has enrolled its first patients in a new global Phase III trial of the drug.