Landmark moment in the treatment of Alzheimer’s as new drug that could stop disease in its tracks is set to be unveiled

A drug to stop Alzheimer’s disease could be unveiled this week.

Hopes are high that solanezumab will be able to slow or even halt the illness, if given to patients early enough.

The announcement, expected at a major US conference, would be a landmark moment in the treatment of the disease.

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia affect more than 800,000 Britons, and the number is expected to double in a generation as the population ages.

Existing drugs simply address the symptoms. Their failure to deal with the underlying causes means that they quickly wear off, and the disease soon takes its devastating course.

In contrast, solanezumab tackles beta amyloid, the toxic protein that clogs the brain in Alzheimer’s, destroying vital connections between cells.

Its maker, US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, is remaining tight-lipped about the results of trials. 

 

However, speaking at a recent conference, its scientists said the drug’s effects were consistent with a ‘treatment that changes the underlying pathology of Alzheimer’s disease’.

Eric Karran, of the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘Current treatments only help with symptoms.

‘They enable nerve cells to communicate with each other more effectively, but don’t stop the underlying disease from getting worse. Eventually, the effect … wears off as the damage to the brain overwhelms the modest benefit afforded by the drugs.’

Hopes about solanezumab were dashed three years ago, when a large-scale trial appeared to show it was ineffective.

However, close analysis suggested there were some benefits if taken at a very early stage of the disease. 

Patients with mild symptoms continued taking the drug for another two years, and these trial results will be released on Wednesday.

Source Mail Online