Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42845560›Full record

ArticleResearch square2026

A Phase 2b randomized clinical trial of the oral p38α inhibitor neflamapimod in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

John-Paul Taylor, John J Alam, Stephen N Gomperts, Lawrence S Honig, Niels D Prins, Isamil Koubiyr, Hui-May Chu, Amanda Gardner, Kelly Blackburn, Menno M Schoonheim and 2 more

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in Research square, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

John-Paul TaylorNewcastle University.
John J AlamCervoMed, Inc.
Stephen N GompertsMassachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Lawrence S HonigColumbia University.
Niels D PrinsBrain Research Center.
Isamil KoubiyrAmsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Hui-May ChuAnoixis Corporation.
Amanda GardnerCervoMed, Inc.
Kelly BlackburnCervoMed, Inc.
Menno M SchoonheimAmsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Charlotte E TeunissenAmsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
James E GalvinUniversity of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Funding

A Phase 2b Clinical Study of the P38 Alpha Kinase Inhibitor Neflamapimod in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)R01AG080536 · NIA · EIP PHARMA, INC. · PI ALAM, JOHN, GALVIN, JAMES E · 2023 to 2025
$21.1M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG080536
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: There is high unmet need in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Neflamapimod, showed clinical activity against cognitive and motor endpoints at a dose of 40mg three-times-daily (TID) in a prior phase 2a study in DLB, most prominently in those without Alzheimer disease (AD) co-pathology, assessed by plasma ptau181. Methods: 16-week randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with a 32-week open label extension, conducted at 43 centers in the US, UK and Netherlands. 159 participants with probable DLB by consensus criteria, screened to enrich for patients without AD co-pathology (plasma ptau181≥27.2 pg/mL excluded), randomized between August 2023 and June 2024 to neflamapimod 40mg (80 participants) or matching placebo (79 participants) capsules, TID. Mean age 71.4 (6.1), 85.6% male. Primary outcome measure: change in Clinical Dementia Rating Sum-of-Boxes (CDR-SB). Secondary outcome measures: Timed up and Go test, ADCS Clinical Global Impression of Change, and a study-specific cognitive test battery. Biomarker measures: plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light chain, and basal forebrain atrophy by structural MRI (sub-study in 18 participants). Results: There was no significant difference between neflamapimod and placebo on the primary outcome measure, change in CDR-SB. There were also no differences seen on secondary clinical outcome measures and the two plasma biomarkers, though in the sub-study, improvement relative to placebo was seen with neflamapimod on change in right basal forebrain volume from baseline to week 16. In exploratory analyses, the treatment group difference in change in CDR-SB favored neflamapimod compared to placebo among participants with low (<21 pg/mL) screening plasma p-tau181. Pharmacokinetic data showed that mean trough neflamapimod plasma drug-concentrations (C Discussion: The phase 2a clinical study findings were not replicated, potentially due to the inclusion of a higher proportion of patients with AD co-pathology than targeted and the use of neflamapimod drug product that did not achieve expected plasma drug concentrations.Registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 17 May 2023 (NCT0586966).

Indexed as

Alzheimer's disease co-pathologybasal forebrain atrophycholinergic dysfunction and degenerationDementia with Lewy bodiesneflamapimodphase 2 clinical trial

Identifiers

PMID42845560
PMCPMC13640916

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.