A new drug can reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease by 35 per cent.
A new drug reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
Results of a study - released in preliminary form by drug maker Eli Lilly - shows that the world is "on the cusp of a first generation of treatments" for the brain disorder.
The drug donanemab reduced the rate of cognitive decline of Alzheimer's patients in a trial between 27 per cent and 35 per cent.
Dr. Cath Mummery, clinical lead for the Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, said: "This result confirms that we are now entering the treatment era of Alzheimer's disease."
The drug has been engineered to target amyloid, the 'sticky' junk protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.
It showed the ability to completely clear the build-up of amyloid, which is believed to be the reason for its effectiveness.
No drug has yet been shown to stop or reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's but the development is a promising breakthrough after years of failure.