Cassava Sciences Faces Setback After Phase III Failure of Alzheimer's Drug Simulfilam

The Phase III trial results for Cassava Sciences' Alzheimer's drug simulfilam were disappointing, as the drug did not achieve the established co-primary endpoints in the ReThink-ALZ trial, which involved over 800 participants with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease[1][2]. Over a 52-week period, simulfilam failed to demonstrate significant improvements in cognitive and functional decline compared to the placebo group, nor did it show positive results in secondary and exploratory biomarkers[1][2]. This outcome has led Cassava to terminate a subsequent Phase III trial, ReFocus-ALZ, and associated programs, while indicating a more pronounced cognitive loss was not observed in the placebo group as anticipated, which has complicated result interpretation[2].