Roche trials update: Disappointing results spell end of two drug trials

The recent announcement that Roche is ending two if its Huntington’s disease trials – Generation HD2, and Point-HD Phase I – is hugely disheartening for our community.

The Generation HD2 study results found that tominersen is safe but, unfortunately, it does not provide any significant benefit for patients. Findings from the Point-HD study, which was in the early stages of developing a compound called RG6496, have also been discouraging.

We all hoped this work by Roche would bring us closer to potential treatment options, however we take heart knowing that, at the very least, it will provide invaluable knowledge for the many trials and scientific research work that continue.

Those who volunteered for the tominersen study, in Scotland and across the world, knew that any treatment might have come too late for them. They were driven by a determination to create a better future for their children and grandchildren, their nieces and nephews, and the wider Huntington’s community.

We thank them for all their extraordinary contribution, for their resilience and for their courage.

In the words of Dr Rachel Harding, Editor in Chief of HD Buzz: “When a clinical trial ends, hope doesn’t.”

Read more at HD Buzz.