Lilly and Roche Diagnostics to Collaborate on Alzheimer’s Disease Adjunct Diagnostic Tool
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced an arrangement to partner with Roche Diagnostics on its ongoing development of a commercially scalable cerebrospinal fluid assay for amyloid-beta 1-42.
Together with tau tangles, the presence of amyloid in the brain is a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease, a condition with no cure that is estimated to impact more than 7.4 million Americans by 2025.1 Improving the ability of practicing clinicians to detect evidence of amyloid is an important step in being able to effectively manage the disease. Currently, healthcare providers can find evidence of amyloid in the living brain through two methods: a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test and an amyloid brain positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
Under this non-exclusive agreement, Lilly is responsible for certain milestone payments upon successful completion of key development objectives. Roche is responsible for the development, registration, and commercialization of the new test.
“We are excited to partner with Roche Diagnostics on this important test,” said Phyllis Ferrell, vice president of Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease platform. “We share the same commitment to providing people with Alzheimer’s disease the best care possible, which includes detection as well as diagnosis and education.”
About Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal illness that causes progressive decline in memory and other aspects of cognition. It is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.1 An estimated 44 million people currently live with dementia worldwide.2 The number of people affected by dementia is expected to be more than 75 million in 2030 and 135 million in 2050.2 Estimates vary, but experts suggest that as many as 5.3 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s disease.1
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. P-LLY
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about a potential cerebrospinal fluid assay for amyloid-beta 1-42. This release reflects Lilly’s current beliefs; however, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. There is no guarantee that future study results and patient experience will be consistent with study findings to date or that the cerebrospinal fluid assay will be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
1 Alzheimer’s Association. 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 2015;11(3)332+.
2 Alzheimer’s Disease International and World Health Organization Dementia Statistics. Available at: http://www.alz.co.uk/research/statistics. Accessed May 27, 2015.
SOURCE: Eli Lilly