Alzheimer's Drug Study Gives 'Tantalising' Results

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A study in nature

Scientists say that a treatment that puts an end to the specific protein plagues that gradually accumulate or increase in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease has managed to show some tantalising ability. Experts continue to remain vigilant as the drug Aducanumab, is yet in the primary stages of process. However, a study in Nature has revealed that it is completely safe and implies that it puts memory decline to a standstill. Greater studies are now being conducted to completely assess the effects of the drug. For many years, the amyloid accumulation in the brain has been the target of the treatment.

Dropped out

This test was intended to check whether Aducanumab was harmless to be used with 165 patients. After a period of one year since the treatment started, it was observed that more the dose, stronger is the effect on the amyloid plagues in the brain. It was after this that researchers carried out certain tests with regards to their memory and could see positive effects. On the other hand, 40 people left the study, half of them because of experiencing side effects like headaches.

This was common along with high dosages. The next part of the research had three phases which had two separate tests. These are enlisting 2,700 people in an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease around Europe, North America and Asia, so as to completely check the drug’s effectiveness on cerebral deterioration. Dr Alfred Sandrock from Biogen, which is a biotech company also worked on the research with the University of Zurich said that the third phase genuinely needs to get done with and he hopes that it will give assurance of what they have seen in the test. One day he can imagine curing people who don’t show the symptoms because if one has amyloid within the brain it is possible to develop the disease in one day.

Significant step

Nevertheless, the drug development has also caused some disappointments and it has been more than 10 years since the drug was licensed for those with the condition. This latest test is welcomed by other researchers but with care. Chief Scientist Officer Dr David Reynolds at the Alzheimer’s Research UK mentioned that the resulted gave tantalising proof that a new set of drug to cure the disease may be made available.

Head of research at the Alzheimer’s society Dr James Pickett added that the most compelling thing is that greater amount of amyloid was cleared when the patients took a greater dose of the medicine. No current treatment for the disease directly hinders its process and hence a medicine that actually decelerates the growth of the disease by cleaning up the amyloid would be an important step.

Conversely, Dr Tara Spires-Jones at the University of Edinburgh of the Centre for neural and cognitive systems said that she is vigilantly hopeful about the treatment, but is trying to not get over thrilled as many drugs can only make it through the early stage of trial and then prove to be a failure in bigger tests.