Friday February 22, 2:34 am Eastern Time
Post: Elan Halts Alzheimer's Vaccine Test
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embattled Irish drugmaker Elan Corp. (NYSE:ELN - news;
quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: ELN.L) has halted trials of an experimental Alzheimer's
vaccine after 12 volunteers became ill with brain inflammation, The Washington Post reported
on Friday.
The newspaper quoted sources familiar with the study as saying there was little question the vaccine, code named AN-1792, triggered brain reactions, which some scientists said was encephalitis.
A company spokesman told the newspaper an independent committee was reviewing data from the study involving about 360 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in four European countries and 11 U.S. sites.
The report on the vaccine adds to Elan's problems, which include a battered share price, a grim 2002 profit warning and a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into allegations of deceptive accounting practices.
According to the Washington Post, the vaccine aims to generate an immune system attack against ``beta amyloid,'' the brain protein believed to be at the root of Alzheimer's. Experiments in mice suggested the vaccine could halt the progression of Alzheimer's and perhaps even cure the deadly disease, the paper said.
Although animal studies and early human safety studies suggested the vaccine was reasonably safe, the test was controversial
because immune reactions typically cause inflammation, the report said.
Elan, which is developing the vaccine with Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, the pharmaceutical division of Madison, New
Jersey-based American Home Products Corp. (NYSE:AHP - news) would not say how quickly it had halted inoculations after
the first few patients were diagnosed with problems.
The company mentioned the problem in a joint press release with Wyeth posted on its Web site on Jan. 18 reporting on
developing in the clinical trail of AN-1792.
``The companies have decided to temporarily suspend dosing in this Phase 2A study after four patients in France were
reported to have clinical signs consistent with inflammation in the central nervous system,'' the statement said. ``All four patients
are receiving appropriate medical care and the companies are working with clinical investigators to determine the cause of this
development.''
Citing sources in contact with Elan officials, the paper said since that statement, the number of patients that had developed
serious problems has climbed to 12.
