Researchers have conducted promising clinical trials of an experimental new drug that could represent a “new dawn” for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the newspaper.Keeper“.
Clinical trials of the drug “Likanimab”, developed by two American and Japanese companies, have encouraged the researchers, who praised the result.
The drug has been shown to reduce the decline in general mental abilities by 27 percent in Alzheimer’s patients over 18 months, a modest but significant result.
“This is the first drug that offers a real treatment option for Alzheimer’s patients,” said Bart de Strober, director of the Dementia Research Institute at University College London.
The results of the clinical trials, involving 1,800 patients, were published in the medical journal on Tuesday.”New England Journal of Medicine“.
The discovery comes after decades of failure in the field and has encouraged experts to argue that Alzheimer’s disease – which affects 30 million people worldwide – is treatable.
“Although the clinical benefits appear somewhat limited, they are expected to become more pronounced over time,” Strober added.
Licanib is an antibody treatment that removes clots of amyloid-beta that build up in the brain.
“I think it heralds a new era for Alzheimer’s,” said Nick Fox, professor of clinical neuroscience and director of the Center for Dementia Research at UCLA.
He stressed that this era comes after 20 years of serious work on amyloid immunotherapies by scientists.
For decades, efforts to halt or slow the progression of dementia have failed, costing drug companies billions of dollars and forcing some out of the field altogether.
According to the “Guardian”, the positive results of this drug are expected to lead to a new generation of drugs that provide better control of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr Richard Oakley, from Alzheimer’s Society UK, said the findings could be a ‘game changer’.
He continued, “There is still a long way to go before we can see likanimab available… We must not forget that licanib can only be given to people with early onset Alzheimer’s disease who have amyloid in their brain, i.e. people with other types dementia, or in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, may not benefit from this drug.”
