Merck becomes bigger Alzheimer’s player, with new trial

(Reuters) – Merck & Co Inc has moved to the forefront of Alzheimer's disease research by starting a mid-stage study of a drug from a new class of oral medicines that aim to shut down production of a protein associated with the memory-robbing disease. The drugmaker said on Monday it had started the trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of its so-called BACE inhibitor, named MK-8931, in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. The Phase II trial, which will compare the drug with a placebo, is a global, multi-center study that includes a group of 200 patients to test safety. …