A brand new clinical trial has given positive findings on the use of a new drug in Alzheimer’s disease, which is great news for millions of patients and their families all over the world. ALZ-237 is a drug that has been proved to be effective in reducing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease especially in the early stages.

The phase III clinical trial was carried out in multiple centres in North America and Europe and enrolled more than 2,500 patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease. Published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine the results reveal that patients administered with ALZ-237 deteriorated 27% slower than those given a placebo over a period of 18 months.

Dr. Elena Rodriguez, the lead researcher of the study and professor of neurology at Stanford University, was optimistic about the study findings While these results are promising, this research puts us closer to fighting against Alzheimer’s disease. ALZ-237 is not a cure but there is the potential of slowing the progression of the disease and buying more time for the affected patient and their families.

ALZ-237 is effective in causing the elimination of toxic beta-amyloid plaques in the brain which are thought to exert a crucial influence in the etiology and clinical course of Alzheimer’s disease. Different from the previously developed amyloid targeting drugs, ALZ-237 acts differently and seems to be more efficient in removing the plaques causing the disease and it has fewer side effects.

Alzheimer’s Association has applauding the result of the study as a breakthrough in the search for cure of Alzheimer. It’s the most positive thing that I have seen in Alzheimer’s research in a long time, said Dr Maria Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer’s Association. It offers some light to the fact that we are on the right track in trying to find the right treatment for this fatal illness.

However, the experts have warned that further research is required in order to determine the long-term outcomes of the drug as well as the most suitable ways of using it. Dr. Bennett of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago, who was not involved in the study, said While these results are indeed promising, it will be important to know whether the drug is effective in the longer term and for patients of different ages and from different parts of the world.

The pharma that developed ALZ-237 has said that it will file for approval with the US’s FDA and the EMA in the course of the current year. If approved it would be ready for patients from as early as 2026.

The potential arrival of ALZ-237 could not have come at a better time since the incidence of the disease is rapidly increasing across the world. Current statistics of dementia show that more than 55 million people globally are affected and Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to contribute for 60-70% of the total. This number is expected to rise to 78 million by 2030.

Although researchers are still studying the results of this groundbreaking trial, the medical field is not getting its hopes up about Alzheimer’s disease treatment. The success of ALZ-237 not only has a positive implication to patients and families living with Alzheimer’s but it has also supported the amyloid hypothesis that may open doors for more developments in neurodegenerative diseases.