Cassava Sciences' Alzheimer's drug, simufilam, has failed in a large clinical trial, proving to be no more effective than a placebo. This outcome is particularly devastating for the nearly 2,000 participants involved, as the drug was based on falsified research and misleading claims. The failure highlights the ongoing challenges in Alzheimer's drug development and the significant time lost for those who participated in the trials.
Cassava Sciences has completed its Phase 3 RETHINK-ALZ trial for simufilam, an Alzheimer's treatment candidate, with topline data expected by the end of the year.
An investigation by the City University of New York has found that a scientist who advises biotech company Cassava Sciences, currently under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, has engaged in "egregious misconduct" in his drug and other research.
Cassava Sciences, a biotechnology company focused on Alzheimer's disease, has responded to a leaked internal report from City University of New York (CUNY) that alleged research misconduct. The report found no evidence of data manipulation but cited internal record-keeping failures at CUNY. Cassava Sciences denies any involvement in CUNY's investigation and asserts confidence in the science behind their lead drug candidate, simufilam. The company's Phase 3 clinical program will continue. The leak of the report was preceded by a significant increase in short selling activity against Cassava Sciences.
Shares of biotech company Cassava Sciences Inc. plunged 30% in after-hours trading after an investigation accused neuroscientist Hoau-Yan Wang, who collaborated with the company, of "egregious misconduct" in data management and record keeping. The investigation by the City University of New York found scientific misconduct across 20 research papers, some of which supported Cassava's experimental Alzheimer's drug, simufilam. The report also implicated a senior vice president at Cassava. The company's research on Alzheimer's has faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny in the past. Cassava and the university have not yet responded to the allegations.
