At a Greenville research clinic, Upstate patients have helped advance an experimental Alzheimer’s drug through one of the most important stages in its development. The treatment is not approved yet, but its local testing could help determine whether it can slow the disease by attacking one of its defining proteins.
Tribe Clinical Research is leading the Upstate effort on remternetug, also known as LY3372993. In an interview with WYFF, CEO Jennifer Lehman said at least 40 patients in the region have taken part, while the research registry is no longer accepting new participants.
What Remternetug Is Designed To Do
Remternetug is designed to target an abnormal form of amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Lehman compared the drug’s action to poking at a clog and gradually helping remove it, with the study focused on whether clearing that protein can also slow worsening memory, thinking and daily function.
The ClinicalTrials.gov listing identifies the local study, known as TRAILRUNNER-ALZ 3, as a Phase 3 trial. Its main goal is to measure how long it takes participants to develop or experience meaningful worsening of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive and functional problems.
The Drug Still Has To Clear A Major Hurdle
Phase 3 is a late stage of testing, but it is not the same thing as FDA approval. Eli Lilly’s pipeline information warns that experimental medicines can be delayed, discontinued or fail to reach the market, meaning any approval timeline for remternetug remains uncertain.
The stakes are high because the FDA has already approved two amyloid-targeting treatments for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s: Kisunla and Leqembi. The FDA says Kisunla slowed clinical decline in its pivotal trial, while also warning that the treatment carries risks including amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, which can involve brain swelling or bleeding.
The treatment landscape is also changing quickly. On July 13, the FDA approved an at-home starting dose for the under-the-skin version of Leqembi, a move that could make some anti-amyloid treatment easier to administer while preserving the need for careful medical monitoring.
What Comes Next For The Upstate Research
Lilly’s separate Phase 3 remternetug study in early Alzheimer’s lists an enrollment period that ran from August 2022 through May 12, 2026, according to the company’s trial information. Results from late-stage studies will be central to any future regulatory filing, and the Greenville participants’ data will form part of that broader evidence base.
For families watching the Alzheimer’s drug pipeline, the Greenville trial offers a close-up look at how a potential treatment moves from promising theory to measurable clinical evidence. For now, remternetug remains an investigational medicine, with the next major milestone depending on trial results and the FDA’s review.
