Wyeth may rise if Alzheimer's drug works - Barron's

NEW YORK, April 6 (Reuters) - Shares in Wyeth (WYE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) could rise as much as 50 percent if an Alzheimer's treatment it is researching proves successful, according to a Barron's story in its April 7 edition.

A 2001 trial of an experimental vaccine for the disease ended after 18 out of 300 patients showed signs of a severe inflammation of the brain, according to the story.

But Wyeth and its Irish partner Elan (ELN.I: Quote, Profile, Research) are sponsoring research aimed at neutralizing the adverse reaction.

While it may take several more years for the treatment to be fully tested and reviewed by regulators, Oracle Investment Management President Larry Feinberg has been making a big bet on the drug, according to Barron's.

According to the story, Feinberg said that if the drug is successful it could boost Wyeth stock by 50 percent in the next year or so.