Early use of trial Alzheimer's drug shows some help, US company says
Washington (dpa) - Patients who started using an experimental Alzheimer's drug earlier in time did better in memory and thinking tests than those who received delayed treatment, the US drug company Eli Lilly said Wednesday.
The company made the presentation at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington.
The drug solanezumab is one of several drugs now in late-stage testing in the elusive search for help in preventing or at least delaying the disease that causes cognitive and memory decline, especially in the older age groups.
"We are particularly excited about these data because this is the first time the delayed-start methodology has been implemented for an Alzheimer's disease clinical trial," said Hong Liu-Seifert, study research advisor at Eli Lilly and Company.
The trial process is expected to end in October 2016.
The drug is being tested on patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, with some getting the medication earlier and others later.
The differences in cognition and function between the two groups after 108 weeks in the study were "statistically significant," EliLilly said.
Solanezumab targets and clears a sticky protein, amyloid-beta, which clumps together to form plaque in the brain that interferes with brain functioning and causes Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of dementia cases that affect an estimated 44 million people worldwide.
By 2030, health experts expect more than 75 million people to be struggling with dementia, the company said.
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