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A drug has been developed that slows the development of Alzheimer's disease by 30%
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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A pharmaceutical company in the US has developed a drug that significantly slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The pharmacists published the results of their work in a popular scientific publication. As clinical trials of the new drug have shown, after taking the drug, the level of beta-amyloid protein, which accumulates in Alzheimer's disease, decreases in the brain of patients.
The experts presented reports on their work at an international conference, the main theme of which was the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
This study was a subsequent stage of testing the drug (in previous tests, the drug showed good effectiveness - after 1.5 years of use in patients with Alzheimer's disease in the early stages, the deterioration of cognitive functions slowed by 30% compared to patients who did not take any medications).
The new study also involved patients with early Alzheimer's. All participants were divided into two groups, the first group received the new drug, the second group received a placebo. A distinctive feature of the new clinical study was that in the group that received the placebo, after some time, the "dummy" drug was replaced with a drug to determine whether taking the drug alleviates the condition of patients with Alzheimer's, or directly affects the cause of the disease.
According to the results obtained, during the administration of the new drug by patients from the placebo group, by the end of the trials, the rate of deterioration of cognitive functions was equal to the indicators of patients in the group where the administration of the new drug was carried out from the first days. Based on such data, scientists assumed that the new drug affects the causes of the disease.
It is worth noting that previous studies of drugs that destroyed the beta-amyloid protein ended in failure.
But a number of experts expressed skepticism about the results of the tests and the effectiveness of the drug, noting that physical activity and a special diet also help slow the progression of the disease.
The experts who supported the scientists noted that Alzheimer's disease needs to be treated early, perhaps this was the main reason for the failure of previous studies. These arguments coincide with the conclusions of the scientists who conducted clinical trials. As the pharmacists suggested, the new drug is effective only at an early stage of the disease.
Experts have long been interested in the causes of senile dementia. A group of experts decided to conduct a large-scale study of such processes on a group of volunteers. Observation of the participants in the experiment began back in 1946 - scientists decided to evaluate the work of the brain, starting from the first days of a person's life, so 500 newborns born in March were selected.
Experts regularly conducted memory tests, assessed the condition of bones, the cardiovascular system, and brain activity.
Now, according to scientists, the main role in senile dementia is played by the natural aging process of the body, but this study allows us to hope that perhaps this is not the reason at all and the disease can be cured.
The experts also noted that all participants will undergo contrast 3D magnetic resonance imaging to detect even minor changes that cause Alzheimer's. Participants will also have their blood and urine regularly tested to detect signs of early development of senile dementia.