dailymail.co.uk
29th July 2008
A new drug halts the devastating progress of Alzheimer’s disease, say British scientists.
It is said to be more than twice as effective as current treatments.
A daily capsule of rember, as the drug is known, stops Alzheimer’s disease progressing by as much as 81 per cent, according to trial results.
Patients with the brain disorder had no significant decline in their mental function over a 19-month period.
‘We appear to be bringing the worst affected parts of the brain functionally back to life,’ said Dr Claude Wischik, who led the research.
It is the first time medication has been developed to target the ‘tangles’ in the brain that destroy nerve cells, leading to deteriorating memory.
The drug helps to disrupt this process, preventing the formation of new tangles and loosening those already created.
Last night the findings were hailed as the biggest breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer’s since 1907.
The trial was a Phase 2 study, which checks the safety and efficacy of the drug, but if a large-scale Phase 3 trial due next year repeats the findings, the drug could be available for prescribing.
But he warned there is a long way to go before the treatment will become available for patients.
He said the cost of the treatment is unknown but would need to be compared with the expense of caring for Alzheimer’s sufferers both in the community and in hospital.
Existing Alzheimer’s drugs costing £2.50 have been banned for NHS use in sufferers of ‘mild’ disease on grounds of cost.
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Edited by Rogerdodger, 30 July 2008 - 08:21 AM.
