The head of Eli Lilly’s research into Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and other neurological diseases is unexpectedly leaving the company. David Bredt’s last day at the drug maker is Feb. 25, a company spokeswoman says. He had joined Lilly in 2004. Fellow industry drug researchers expressed surprise at the news, especially since Bredt had given no indication of his plans at recent events. His departure comes after Lilly experienced a number of setbacks in its Alzheimer’s research, in particular. Most notably, the company halted development of an  experimental Alzheimer’s drug called semagacestat last August, after studies showed it was worsening patients’ conditions. More recently, the FDA gave Lilly a scare when two staff members recommended against approving a drug called Amyvid that detects the plaques in the brain found in Alzheimer’s patients. Judy Kay Moore, a

Lilly spokeswoman, tells the Health Blog Bredt left to pursue other opportunities. “He left voluntarily, and we wish him well,” she says. (We’ve reached out to Bredt via email and will update this post if we hear back.) Lilly will look for a successor, Moore says. “We are committed to neuroscience research and development. This remains a major therapeutic area for Lilly.” The Indianapolis drug maker’s top-selling drug is schizophrenia treatment Zyprexa. The company, which has one of the steepest patent cliffs in the industry, needs its pipeline of experimental drugs to pay off soon. Almost 1 in 5 compounds in that pipeline are neuroscience drugs, including solanezumab for Alzheimer’s disease and Neri for depression, both in phase 3 of development. Photo: Bloomberg News

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Lilly’s Neuroscience Research Chief Resigns