Eli Lilly Tries Again with Alzheimer's Drug as the Race for a Cure Continues (LLY)

Eli Lilly & Co. LLY planned to go back to the drawing board with its new experimental Alzheimer’s drug, according Bloomberg.

The drug, solanezumab, which was not successful with advanced Alzheimer’s patients, will be tested in patients who show signs of early stages of the disease.

Using newer, more-targeted measures of cognitive function, the new trial, called Expedition III will involve 2,100 patients. Participants will be tested on their ability to do a variety of tasks including cooking, driving, and verbal memory according to Eric Siemers, a senior medical director at Eli Lilly.

Solanezumab is designed to target the buildup of plaque, also known as beta amyloid, in the brain. Plaque is believed to be a basis for Alzheimer’s disease. Clearing plaque or preventing further buildup may help stop progression of the disease, but is a theory that has not yet been proven.

Meanwhile, the hunt for a cure for Alzheimer’s continues. The disease that affects 5 million Americans and, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, is expected to grow to 13.8 million by 2050.

Related: Are Scientists Edging Closer to a Cure for Alzheimer's?

In addition to Lilly’s solanezumab, Bloomberg pointed to another drug, bapineuzumab, jointly developed by Pfizer Inc. PFE, Johnson & Johnson JNJ, and Elan Corp. ELN. Bapineuzumab, like most Alzheimer’s drugs, failed to show any benefit.

WebMD reported on two additional drugs that do show promise.

One drug, a BACE inhibitor like Eli Lilly’s solanezumab, was developed by Merck & Co. MRKand in early tests substantially reduced levels of beta amyloid in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. As with solanezumab, however, the question revolves around whether reducing plaque actually does any good.

The second drug noted by WebMD is believed effective in reducing inflammation in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, another treatment that researchers suspect might work in the fight against the disease. This drug, called CHF5074, is made by an Italian company, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals.

According to Bloomberg, Deutsche Bank estimated that Alzheimer’s medicines represent a market worth $20 billion a year.

In early trading, Tuesday, among the major players in Alzheimer’s research, Eli Lilly was up $0.08 at $51.63, Pfizer was up $0.13 at $28.92, Johnson & Johnson was up $0.52 at $90.92, Elan was down $0.06 at $14.15, and Merck was down $0.04 at $48.48.

At the time of this writing, Jim Probasco had no position in any mentioned securities.