Acumen halts Alzheimer’s drug development after phase‑2 trial misses primary endpoint
Acumen Pharmaceuticals announced that its phase‑2 ALTITUDE‑AD trial of sabirnetug (ACU193) failed to meet the primary iADRS endpoint and key secondary endpoints in early Alzheimer’s patients. The study enrolled 542 participants and tested 35 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg doses, which showed no significant cognitive benefit over placebo. The company will discontinue the program, implement cash‑conservation measures and explore strategic alternatives, including its Enhanced Brain Delivery platform.
Why it matters
Stifel downgraded Acumen to Hold and cut its price target to $1.00 from $10.00, citing the trial failure. The stock plunged roughly 88% in pre‑market trading, reflecting the loss of a major development candidate and heightened cash‑burn concerns.
Key facts
- 1The ALTITUDE‑AD trial did not meet its primary endpoint of change from baseline in iADRS at 18 months versus placebo. stocktitan.net
- 2Key secondary endpoints, including the Clinical Dementia Rating‑Sum of Boxes, also failed to achieve statistical significance. stocktitan.net
- 3The trial enrolled 542 participants with early Alzheimer’s disease. stocktitan.net
- 4Both the 35 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg doses of sabirnetug failed to meet primary and key secondary endpoints. investing.com
- 5Approximately 10% of treated participants experienced ARIA‑E (amyloid‑related imaging abnormalities‑edema). rttnews.com
- 6Stifel cut Acumen’s price target to $1.00 from $10.00 and downgraded the rating to Hold. investing.com
Open questions
- Stock decline percentage varies across sources: 85.59%, 88.6%, and “over 80%” pre‑market.
Summary written by AlphAI AI Desk from 7 of 7 sources. Not investment advice. Figures are as stated by the linked sources.