Lilly ceases clinical research of pomaglumetad methionil as schizophrenia treatment

INDIANAPOLIS — Eli Lilly has ceased ongoing clinical studies of an investigational treatment for schizophrenia.

The drug maker said that after recently conducting an independent futility analysis, it concluded that the second of Lilly's two pivotal studies "was unlikely to be positive in its primary efficacy endpoint if enrolled to completion." Additionally, the recently completed phase-2 study, which investigated pomaglumetad methionil (also known as mGlu2/3) as an adjunctive treatment with atypical antipsychotics, did not meet its primary endpoint.

"I'm disappointed in what these results mean for patients with schizophrenia who still are searching for options to treat this terrible illness," said Jan Lundberg, Lilly EVP science and technology, and Lilly Research Labs president. "While there are many challenges in this complex field of research, neuroscience remains a core area of focus at Lilly. Our clinical development pipeline includes nearly a dozen neuroscience molecules being studied to treat illnesses, such as depression, bipolar disorder and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia."

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