Eli Lilly halts phase 2 Alzheimer's trial of mevidalen after missing internal targets

Eli Lilly announced it is removing mevidalen from its pipeline, ending a phase 2 trial in symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.

The decision was disclosed during the company's third-quarter earnings update. The trial, which began in August 2024 and enrolled 304 patients with mild to moderate disease, did not meet the company's internal success criteria for safety and cognitive outcomes.

Lilly did not release detailed results and said it remains unclear whether the setback will affect mevidalen's development in other indications. The drug is a dopamine D1 receptor positive allosteric modulator intended to boost cognitive and motor function.

This follows a previous failure of mevidalen in 2021, and comes as the firm continues to expand its neuroscience portfolio through large acquisitions.