Roche Halts Diabetes Drug Trial in Blow to Pipeline

Get the latest biotech news where you want it. Sign up for the free GenePool newsletter today!

Roche will stop development of a drug for treating diabetes partly due to its undesired side effects, marking a high-profile setback for the Swiss company outside its cancer drug comfort zone. The diabetes treatment - aleglitazar - belongs to a class of drugs that rival pharmaceutical firms had already pulled back from, raising the question of why Roche had pressed on with what analysts had seen as a risky bet. Patients in a late-stage trial of the drug suffered side effects affecting organs such as their kidneys and hearts, a spokesman for the Basel-based drugmaker said, adding Roche could not yet quantify the financial impact of the move. Roche said in a statement on Wednesday it was working to support patients on the drug to move to other therapies.

Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.

Back to news