A new drug could stop Alzheimer’s before symptoms show. Around 1,600 people will be offered the drug in a landmark trial that scientists have dubbed a “game changer”.
Research suggests that trontinemab, which is administered as a monthly infusion, removes toxic plaques that cause the degenerative disease. It is believed to enter the central nervous system more efficiently than older treatments, with trials set to investigate whether it can stop or completely prevent Alzheimer’s. People aged 55 and over and who are at high risk of the disease will be offered to take part in the trial. Scientists will use blood tests to identify those most likely to benefit from the drug.
As reported by The Telegraph, trontinemab is manufactured by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche. It is a next-generation version of lecanemab and donanemab – Alzheimer’s drugs shown to slow cognitive decline in patients by 27% and 35%, respectively.
Hilary Evans-Newton, the chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “The science is advancing rapidly, and every new discovery brings us closer to a future where diseases can be identified and treated much earlier.
“Over the next five to 10 years, we will see a transformation in what’s possible, including the prospect of treatments that help protect brain health before symptoms progress – the concept of a ‘statin for the brain’.”
The trial will involve around 1,600 people from across the world. They will have tested positive for elevated levels of biomarker p-tau217, which is linked to Alzheimer’s, before taking part.
Dr Rachel Buckley, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, told an event organised by the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement that the new treatments being trialled are “wonderful”. She added: “If these trials are positive, the game changes.”
Although lecanemab and donanemab caused brain bleeds in one in four patients, studies show that trontinemab causes the complication less often. It is hoped the next generation medication will require less monitoring and push down costs.
Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the trial is an “important shift” in research as it focusses on “people who already have symptoms towards finding those most at risk and seeing whether treatment can delay, or perhaps one day prevent symptoms developing”.
She added: “It raises the exciting possibility that Alzheimer’s could eventually be treated preventively, in a similar way to using medicines to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
