Surprise new drug could slow Alzheimer’s
In a surprise announcement, neuroscience drug giants Biogen have announced a brand new drug that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s is ready for approval.
The announcement that Biogen are ready to begin the approval process for the revolutionary new medicine, which is called aducanumab, came as something of a surprise to the rest of the industry. This is because Biogen had previously stopped its trials of the drug, as their data proved disappointing. However, following further analysis of the results, the company found that patients who were given a higher dose of aducanumab showed significant improvements when opposed to the control group.
The drug is said to help people with early onset Alzheimer’s by slowing down the effects of the condition, helping them to retain their memory and the ability to perform everyday tasks. It works by targeting a protein in the brain called amyloid, which is found in unusually high concentrations in patients with Alzheimer’s. It is largely agreed by the scientific community that these proteins are toxic to brain cells and so reducing the size of these deposits will help improve symptoms significantly.
New hope for Alzheimer patients
Although it isn’t a cure, the drug represents the first new medicine for dementia patients in 10 years, giving hope to thousands of people suffering from the memory affecting condition. However, Biogen are yet to submit plans and are aiming to file the paperwork in early 2020. The approval process can then take up to two years. Once approved, the drug will be offered to those who participated in the trials and then rolled out to America and Europe.
Professor Bart De Stooper, the Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, said "It is fantastic to hear of these new positive results emerging from the aducanumab trials. We currently have no effective treatments to slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease and I hope this signifies a turning point."
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