Eli Lilly And AstraZeneca To Co-develop Alzheimer's Disease Treatment

Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca Plc said Friday they have entered an agreement to jointly develop an Alzheimer's Disease treatment. The companies will work together on MEDI1814, an antibody selective for amyloid-beta 42, which is currently in Phase 1 trials. As part of the agreement, Eli Lilly will make an upfront payment of $30 million to AstraZeneca. Eli Lilly will book a pretax charge of $30 million in the fourth quarter, equal to an after-tax charge of 2 cents a share. Eli Lilly shares were not yet active premarket. AstraZeneca ADRs were up 1.4%, but are down 26% in the year so far, while the S&P 500 has gained about 10%.