Back in December 2021, after a few years of research and early testing, Cassava Sciences announced the first phase III trial of the Simufilam experimental Alzheimer's medication. In August 2022, over 400 patients were on the waiting list. Yesterday, at the end of a 52-week clinical trial that involved 804 patients, Cassava Sciences announced the failure of this test and stopped development of the drug, at least for the time being.
"The results are disappointing for patients and their families who are living with this disease and physicians who have been looking for novel treatment options. We took careful measures to enroll patients with mild-to-moderate AD. Despite that, the loss of cognition in the placebo group was less pronounced than was previously reported in other placebo-controlled studies in AD. We are working to understand this better,"
revealed Cassava Sciences President and CEO, Rick Barry. He also said that the next testing stage, which had been previously announced, has been slashed.
More details about the data generated by this failure can be found in the official press release, which is linked below. Now, Cassava Sciences might need to shift focus to turning SavaDx into a viable product as soon as possible for a solid chance to stay afloat. SavaDx is currently labeled as "an early-stage product candidate" and is supposed "to detect Alzheimer's disease with a simple blood test" using the scientific research from the Simufilam project. However, given its failure, SavaDx might be discontinued as well.
After reaching $34 earlier this week, SAVA is now trading at roughly $4, with no signs of recovery from yesterday's fall which pushed the shares slightly lower than $4. Those who want to find out more about Alzheimer's, a disease affecting over 5 million people in the US alone, should grab Alzheimer's Through the Stages: A Caregiver's Guide, which is available on Amazon starting at $7.99 (Kindle format).