Roche said in a statementExternal link on Monday that the studies known as Graduate 1 and 2 did not reach the main goal of showing that the drug gantenerumab can preserve abilities such as memory, solving problems, orientation and personal care in patients suffering from early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The studies did not meet their primary endpoint of slowing clinical decline. Gantenerumab was well tolerated, including the subcutaneous administration,” it said.
The Swiss company conducted two equally designed studies with about 1,000 participants each, who were examined and queried by physicians over more than two years. Within each study, volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either the injectable antibody drug gantenerumab or a placebo.
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Alzheimer cases will more than double by 2050
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Swiss organisations have called for better framework conditions for the prevention, research and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Gantenerumab was designed to bind to aggregated forms of beta-amyloid and remove brain amyloid plaques, which are believed to play a crucial role in the slowly progressing dementia disease.
Most of the 55 million people suffering from dementia worldwide are likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2030, dementia is expected to affect 78 million.
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Brain fingerprints evolve and could help us tackle Alzheimer
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Everyone has a unique brainprint but – unlike finger prints – it can change over time, according to a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
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A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
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As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
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The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
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Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
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With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
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The end of affordable medicine
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Pharma companies are close to a cure for cancer, but will the hefty price tags make treatments unaffordable for most of the world?
Brain fingerprints evolve and could help us tackle Alzheimer
This content was published on
Everyone has a unique brainprint but - unlike finger prints - it can change over time, according to a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
This content was published on
Swiss organisations have called for better framework conditions for the prevention, research and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.