For the first time, a drug was designed to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease but with its second trial failure, the manufacturers Pfizer (PFE) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Elan Corp. were forced to end the plans for the time being.

The drug named Bapineuzumab was specifically designed to prevent the formation of plaques in brain, which are known as the main cause of Alzheimer. But as told by the manufacturers, it was during its second trial of the four final-stage trials, when it failed to recover the symptoms of dementia.

It’s been a decade now that certain drug manufacturers are trying hard to discover a therapy, which could help them save lives of people suffering from Alzheimer’s.

With the failure of this drug, certain questions have come up. Are these amyloid deposits actually responsible for causing this disease or it is just merely a consequence? And if not, then what could be the reason behind the failure of this drug?

As said by Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, in an e-mail: “Alzheimer’s is a tough nut for any drug company to crack. We don’t know for sure what causes it or even what it really is. There will be more failures before we see a success”.