For the first time in 15 years, a new drug promises to slow down Alzheimer's disease | UK | New

The drug could be available for use by patients in the five years.

Experts said the new treatment was the first important step in the fight against the disease in 15 years.

The drug inhibits the accumulation of toxic protein that causes brain damage associated with the disease. In trials, the new antibody compound, called BAN2401, significantly slowed the rates of mental decline among patients.

"Exciting" development was unveiled at the International Alzheimer's Conference in Chicago and provoked an enthusiastic response from the scientific community. 19659007] Alzheimer's disease is triggered when abnormal levels of the protein 'beta-amyloid' accumulate to form plaques between brain cells that disrupt their function.

Memory is usually the first faculty to decline before cruel illness

The conference heard that in a phase II clinical trial, BAN2401 had been shown to prevent tufts accumulation of beta-amyloid .

The Phase II trial should be followed by two-phase III trials in which the drug is tested on a larger group of patients and longer.

If success after about four years, they will happily lead to the application Professor Clive Ballard, a world-renowned researcher on dementia at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "C & D Is by far the most promising result we've got. "

"It has the potential to provide effective treatment to people with dementia."

"The results on amyloid reduction and cognition are really spectacular.

"We need a greater trial to see if the benefits are confirmed, but"

No new treatments have been approved for the disease. Alzheimer's – which, combined with all other types of dementia, is now the deadliest in the UK – for nearly two decades

. The highest dose, 10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of a patient administered intravenously once a fortnight, showed the largest dose decrease of BAN2401 in experiments aimed at testing the efficacy each dose.

Cognitive decline was reduced by 47%.

At the end of the 18-month trial, 81% of people who received the drug stopped showing excessive levels of beta-amyloid in brain scans. and instead showed normal levels.

Dr. David Reynolds, Scientific Director of Alzheimer Research UK, said: "These results are encouraging and suggest that BAN2401 could be effective in combating Alzheimer's disease and, most importantly, making a difference significant on the symptoms of people with the disease.

"While there is still research to be done and we are still waiting for the full results of this test, we are optimistic the results and, with the innumerable Families who have felt the effects of Alzheimer's disease, are waiting to be informed of the next steps of this promising announcement, "he said. Biogen and the Japanese drug maker Eisai, could receive almost immediate conditional approval.

This means that the revolutionary drug could be marketed early and other large-scale accelerated trials.

Doug Brown, Director of Policy and Research at Alzheimer Society The company, said data released yesterday, would see significant interest from neurologists wishing to place their patients in future trials.

He added: "It" 15 years ago that the latest drug treatment for dementia was developed, any breakthrough in the search for a new way to combat this devastating disease is extremely welcome.

Amazing results break on a series of disappointments

The new data surprised the experts because after 12 months it seemed like the drug would become the latest failure when it s & # 39; 39; is revealed to be ineffective at first

. new results have given researchers renewed confidence that looking for treatments to eliminate brain beta-amyloid is the way to defeat the disease.

The numbers show that there is now has over 50 million people suffering from dementia worldwide, the majority of whom are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.

But by 2050, this figure is expected to double to more than 100 million.

One in three people should suffer from dementia. Earlier this year, Lady Barbara Windsor's husband, Scott Mitchell, revealed that the 80-year-old legend of Carry On and EastEnders had been battling Alzheimer's for four years

and the actress Hollywood Carey Mulligan, 33, is afraid of being hit by dementia, the condition that cost her grandmother's life

The British star of the Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice, watched Margaret live with the disease for 16 years.

Towards the end was unable to speak exc "

She died last year at the age of 91.

Carey, winner of the Bafta Award, said that the fear of developing the disease was behind her campaign for more money for research.

said, "Recently, I was asked if I was afraid of dementia." My answer was yes. "

Commentary – Dr. Carol Routledge

These results are positive and should be viewed with optimism

Dementia is a devastating disease affecting over 850,000 people in the United Kingdom United and touching the lives of many others.

Although some medications may relieve symptoms, they do not help everyone and, ultimately, they do not prevent the underlying diseases – most commonly Alzheimer's disease – to progress in the brain.

It is therefore not surprising that the positive results of clinical trials are numerous

Now we have a potential new candidate BAN2401

The drug targets amyloid, a long-implicated protein in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Pharmaceutical companies Biogen and Eisai have presented encouraging data from a Phase II trial of BAN2401 in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's

The drug shows a clear effect on memory and thinking for 18 months even without resorting to complex statistical tests.

Thinking about patients receiving a high dose of medication, they were 47% slower than those receiving a fictitious treatment and amyloid levels in the brain were normal.

Given the number of people treated in this study, the results are positive

Drug discovery is a complex process and BAN2401 will have to be tested even more thoroughly for safety reasons.

There is no doubt that these results are a step forward, future trials should explore a wider range of doses in a larger number of people.

If BAN2401 actually reaches this stage in the future, it may be beneficial for different types and stages of dementia – at this stage it has been tested in people with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's .

However, it will probably not be a miracle solution to solve all dementias. We must therefore continue our efforts to identify new drug targets

This week's Chicago Conference is full of hope, with scientists around the world presenting important milestones.

I am very encouraged to see the drug discovery process. Promising trials are underway and new trials are underway

. Promising trials are underway and efforts like the Alliance for Alzheimer's Drug Discovery are discovering new and innovative therapeutic targets, and we are moving toward that goal. [ad_2]
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