Merck Voluntarily Halts Phase II Trials of Oral Alzheimer’s Drug MK-1942 Due to Liver Toxicity Concerns

On October 23, due to concerns about liver toxicity, MSD voluntarily terminated a Phase IIa/IIb study of the oral Alzheimer's disease new drug MK-1942 as an adjunctive treatment for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease dementia.

A spokesperson for MSD told Endpoints News, "Trial data showed that MK-1942 was associated with potential liver toxicity in liver function tests of several participants, although no serious adverse events related to this were reported."

In September this year, the pharmaceutical giant halted another Phase IIa trial, which was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MK-1942 as an adjunctive therapy for patients with treatment-resistant depression who are on a stable regimen of antidepressant medications.

Some speculate that MK-1942 is part of a treatment for neurological disorders based on the emerging use of psychedelics, as the pharmaceutical company is collaborating with Novamind, a clinical research organization known for testing psychedelics. Novamind focuses on the clinical applications of hallucinogenic compounds (derived from psilocybin or LSD).

References

[1] Merck ends PhII trials of Alzheimer’s and depression small molecule after liver toxicity observations – Endpoints News (endpts.com)

[2] Study Details | Efficacy and Safety of MK-1942 as an Adjunct Therapy in Participants With Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease Dementia (MK-1942-008) | ClinicalTrials.gov

[3] Study Details | Efficacy and Safety of MK-1942 When Added to Stable Antidepressant Therapy in Participants With Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) (MK-1942-006) | ClinicalTrials.gov

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