And so, $720 million later, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has finally discontinued work on SRT501, a drug designed to mimic the ant-aging benefits of red wine, saying the compound did not work sufficiently in advanced multiple myeloma patients and caused kidney damage. This is not terribly surprising, given that a clinical trial was halted last spring for ‘unexpected safety events’.
The discontinuation is a bit of an embarassment for Glaxo. Earlier this year, there was quite a flap over the value of the Sirtris compound. Sirtris, you may recall, made a name for itself by developing drugs that activate sirtuins, a class of enzymes involved in aging, and its most advanced compound was a formulation of resveratrol, a substance found in red wine and plants. Lured by the fountain of youth, Glaxo two years ago shelled out a fair amount of money for SRT501 and a couple of other compounds.
However, two different groups of scientists from other drugmakers - first, Amgen (AMGN) and then Pfizer (PFE) - in the past year published articles questioning the notion that such compounds can directly boost an enzyme that slows down the aging process (see this and this). In hopes of salvaging its $720 million payout, Glaxo is now focusing on two “more selective SIRT1 activator compounds that have no chemical relationship to SRT501 and more favorable drug-like properties,” a Glaxo spokeswoman writes us.
This is not the first time the Sirtris deal has humiliated Glaxo. A few months ago, two key Sirtris execs who assumed important roles within Glaxo’s hiearchy - Michelle Dipp and Christoph Westphal - joined a non-profit called the Healthy Lifespan Institute to sell resveratrol supplements online. Although this was a different formulation, Glaxo didn’t know about the online sales. Both were forced to resign from the non-profit board.
In any event, drugs that fail in the lab are, well, an age-old story.
Disclosure: None
