Pfizer, Medivation to discontinue Dimebon development following late-stage trial results

NEW YORK — A late-stage clinical trial to evaluate a drug in Alzheimer's disease patients came up short, the drug's developers said Tuesday, prompting them to cease its development.

Pfizer and Medivation announced results of the phase-3 "CONCERT" trial of Dimebon (latrepirdine), a trial that had lasted 12 months and enrolled 1,003 patients worldwide. The drug, which the companies have studied since 2009, was originally developed by Soviet Union scientists in the 1980s as an antihistamine.

The companies said that while the drug appeared safe, it showed no statistically significant improvement in Alzheimer's disease symptoms. The two said they would discontinue development of the drug for all indications.

Previous studies of the drug have turned up similarly lackluster results. Last April, the companies cancelled the "HORIZON" trial after it failed to show significant improvement in patients with Huntington disease, while the drug also didn't show a statistically significant improvement in Alzheimer's patients in the 2010 "CONNECTION" trial.

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