Although there are currently no approved therapies that slow or stop progression of [Alzheimer’s Disease], several approaches are showing promise.
[A] team from Merck Research Laboratories report[ed] results of early human and animal trials of a drug called verubecestat, which targets the production of protein plaques associated with the disease.“It represents well over a decade of investment in this project by many, many scientists,” [says team leader Matthew Kennedy.] Definitive conclusions will have to await the results of larger, ongoing phase III clinical trials to assess their efficacy, effectiveness and safety, but the results are promising, experts say.
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[The successful results of the drug on animals] helped propel testing to full-blown clinical trials, making verubecestat the first BACE1 inhibitor to reach phase III trials.…
Other treatments under investigation involve modifying gamma-secretase enzymes, tackling inflammation or targeting the tau protein tangles that occur in Alzheimer’s. “Different approaches are necessary, and we envision patients will get multiple treatments once they’re approved,” Selkoe says. “For now, none have made it across the finish line.”
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: New Alzheimer’s Drug Clears Milestone in Human Clinical Trial
