Why Cortexyme Stock Imploded in 2021

Shares of the central nervous system drug specialist Cortexyme (NASDAQ: CRTX) plummeted by a hefty 54% over the course of 2021, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The clinical-stage drugmaker's shares imploded last year in response to the failure of its lead Alzheimer's disease candidate atuzaginstat in a combined phase 2/3 study.

Specifically, atuzaginstat reportedly missed both of its co-primary endpoints in the phase 2/3 Gain trial as a treatment for mild to moderate forms of Alzheimer's disease. However, the drug, which targets a bacterial infection in the brain of Alzheimer's disease patients, did show a promising dose-dependent response among individuals who tested positive for Porphyromonas gingivalis, a bacteria that causes the gum disease periodontitis.

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Source Fool.com