Alzheon Lands $47M to Take Another Shot at a Pivotal Alzheimer’s Test

The cash, a five-year grant from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging, represents another shot for the company and its drug, ALZ-801, which has previously failed in clinical trials. But the Framingham, MA-based biotech now plans to test its drug in a narrower group: patients who have are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and also have two copies of APOE4/4, a genetic variant associated with a higher risk of developing the disease. The Alzheon drug is a reformulated version of tramiprosate, which was initially developed and tested by Montreal-based Neurochem, a company now known as Bellus Health (NASDAQ: BLU). The Phase 3 study is designed to enroll 300 patients who will be randomly assigned to receive the Alzheon pill or a placebo twice a day for 18 months. The study will also track biological indicators, including the levels of amyloid and tau proteins in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid.