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# Should Pfizer Have Disclosed Enbrel Alzheimer’s Signal?
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/should-pfizer-have-disclosed-enbrel-alzheimers-signal/
- Published: 2019-06-05T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T01:30:48.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5144269

The *Washington Post* reports that Pfizer researchers found in 2015 that its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel (etanercept) appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the newspaper [says](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/pfizer-had-clues-its-blockbuster-drug-could-prevent-alzheimers-why-didnt-it-tell-the-world/2019/06/04/9092e08a-7a61-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.d4c8f2f8b074&ref=fdaweb.com), the company made a decision during three years of internal review that Enbrel did not show promise for Alzheimer’s prevention because it does not directly reach brain tissue, and thus did not conduct further research or publish or share its researchers’ findings.

“Science was the sole determining factor against moving forward,” a company spokesman told the *Post*.

However, some scientists contacted by the newspaper disagree with the company’s assessment that studying Enbrel’s potential in Alzheimer’s disease prevention is a scientific dead end. They said it could hold important clues to combating the disease and slowing cognitive decline in its earliest stages.

Some suggested that the fact that Enbrel was coming off patent and generic versions could become available influenced the company’s decision not to move forward.

Medical ethics experts told the *Post* that companies have a responsibility to publicize positive findings, although it is not as strong as an imperative to disclose negative findings.