Johnson & Johnson has discountinued phase III clinical development of bapineuzumab intravenous (IV) in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Janssen AI), a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, is a partner with Pfizer in the Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Programme (AIP). The Joint Steering Committee for the AIP has decided to discontinue the development of bapineuzumab IV in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease based on the co-primary clinical endpoints not being met in the Janssen AI-led Studies 301 and 302. Pfizer has issued separate news releases on the top line results of both of these Janssen AI-led studies.

“While we are disappointed in the results of the two bapineuzumab IV studies, particularly in light of the urgent need for new advancements in Alzheimer's disease, we believe that targeting and clearing beta amyloid remains a promising path to potential clinical benefits for people suffering from this disease," said Husseini K Manji, MD, Global Therapeutic Area Head for Neuroscience, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. “Janssen remains strongly committed to tackling the enormous unmet medical needs in Alzheimer's disease. We believe the trial results will provide a rich data set that will advance our understanding of this complex disease and inform future research in this field. Studies with other compounds in earlier stages of development in the AIP portfolio are continuing and future development strategies will be discussed jointly by the alliance partners.”

The Company expects to record an after-tax, non-cash special item related to in-process research and development consisting of a net charge to earnings of between $300 and $400 million in the third quarter of 2012 related to the discontinuation of the phase III clinical development of bapineuzumab IV in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Four placebo-controlled phase III studies comprised the bapineuzumab clinical development program. Janssen AI led the two completed 18-month, phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, efficacy and safety studies of patients who are ApoE4 carriers (Study 302) and ApoE4 non-carriers (Study 301). The two co-primary clinical endpoints are change in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog), a validated measure of cognition, and the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD), a validated instrument to measure function.

In addition to the Janssen AI-led studies, Pfizer led two primarily ex-North America 18-month, phase III, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, efficacy and safety studies of patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease who are ApoE4 non-carriers (Study 3000) and carriers (Study 3001).

Bapineuzumab IV, an investigational therapy studied for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, is an antibody that targets beta-amyloid (Aß), a protein that can exert toxic effects in the brain and is believed to play a central role in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease.

The AIP of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy and Pfizer Inc. is an equal collaboration committed to researching and developing selective products for the treatment and/or prevention of neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease.

We believe it may be possible to reduce the burden of disease through early intervention in the illness. The AIP is dedicated to delivering comprehensive and integrated solutions that help address the needs of people impacted by Alzheimer's disease.

The people of Johnson & Johnson embraced research and science - bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people.