An experimental drug for severe sepsis from AstraZeneca and BTG failed to help patients in a crucial mid-stage clinical trial, and its development will now be halted, BTG said yesterday.
Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system sets off a chain reaction and overreacts to an infection, damaging vital organs.
The news is a blow for both companies’ drug pipelines, although the development of CytoFab, or AZD9773, was always viewed by analysts as risky. There are big potential rewards for a successful medicine to treat sepsis, which affects about three million people a year worldwide and has a 30 per cent mortality rate. The drug industry, however, is littered with failures in the area.
CytoFab is the second high-risk drug to flunk tests this week, following the failure of a keenly anticipated Alzheimer’s treatment from Pfizer, Johnson Johnson and Elan.
BTG said it expected to take a charge of about £28 million (€35 million) in the current financial year related to the ending of the drug’s development.
- (Reuters)
