In a deal that makes considerable sense for both parties, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly have joined forces to develop and commercialise AZD3293, AstraZeneca’s oral beta secretase cleaving enzyme (BACE) inhibitor for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Lilly, a major investor to date in the field of AD research, will lead the likely lengthy and costly clinical development of the drug, while the two companies will share joint responsibility for commercialisation. In June 2013, Lilly was forced to halt a Phase II study of its BACE inhibitor LY2886721 due to abnormal liver biochemical tests.