Faced with several clinical setbacks, Eli Lilly neuroscience chief David Bredt has left the company. Bredt joined Lilly in 2004, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The most notable of Lilly’s neurological drug setbacks was the Alzheimer's drug semagacestat, according to Fierce Biotech. The company halted further development of the drug in August 2010 after clinical trials revealed that semagacestat not only failed its endpoints on slowing progression, but also worsened the condition of the patients on the drug. More recently, an FDA panel rejected Lilly's Amyvid (florbetapir), an imaging chemical for Alzheimer's, saying Lilly needs to set up a training program to show physicians how to use the compound.

A spokesperson for Lilly told the WSJ that Bredt left voluntarily and that the company remains committed to neuroscience research. Almost a fifth of Lilly's pipeline drugs address neurological conditions, including late-stage compounds solanezumab for Alzheimer’s and Neri for depression.