MYRIAD RELEASES STUDY RESULTS OF FLURIZAN IN ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS

Myriad Genetics has announced results of its completed Phase II follow-on study of Flurizan in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The data suggest that study participants taking Flurizan demonstrated 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.

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.

Flurizan is the first in a new class of drug candidates known as selective amyloid beta-42 lowering agents. Flurizan lowered levels of Abeta42 in cellular assays and animal models. Abeta42 is the primary constituent of senile plaque that accumulates in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. It is thought to be the key initiator of Alzheimer's disease, since Abeta42 has the greatest tendency to aggregate, cause neuronal damage and initiate amyloid deposits in the brain.