Drug for Alzheimer’s gets regulator’s nod

A NEW drug for Alzheimer’s treatment to be approved for the first time in 17 years could benefit 500,000 patients initially.

GV-971, developed in China, is a seaweed-based drug, which can improve cognitive ability in people suffering from mildto-moderate Alzheimer’s by regulating bacteria in the gut.

The National Medical Products Administration has approved sale of the drug, but further research of its pharmacological mechanism, and monitoring of long-term safety and effectiveness is required.

The drug was developed by the Ocean University of China, Shanghai Green Valley Pharmaceutical

Company and Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica under Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Lu Songtao, chairman of the Green Valley Pharmaceutical company, said production of the first batch of capsules will begin on November 7.

“We believe we can produce enough drugs for 2 million patients in a year,” Lu said.

The company hopes to begin clinical trials in the US soon, as part of its ambition to promote the drug globally.

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out simple tasks. There is currently no cure for the condition. Currently, there are about 50 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease globally. It is the third biggest health risks for the elderly, following cardiovascular disease and cancer.

In China, 10 million people are living with Alzheimer’s, nearly 20 percent of the world’s total, and the number is expected to rise to 40 million by 2050.

“Before GV-971, there were only five medications, without obvious positive effects. They are just symptomatic treatments, and they can’t delay or prevent progress of the disease,” said Xiao Shifu of the Shanghai Mental Health Center.

Over last two decades, pharmaceutical companies across the world have spent hundreds of billions in search of breakthroughs. But more than 300 drugs failed clinical trials.

In Alzheimer’s patients, excessive amyloid beta proteins clump together to form plagues and tangles which impair brain functions. Scientists have been dedicated to finding ways to eliminate the toxic proteins and invent drugs targeting the brain.

Geng Meiyu from the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica took an unconventional approach.

“You can’t simply think it’s the problem with the head if you have headache. Likewise, Alzheimer’s is not just a brain problem. Instead, it’s a complicated disease,” Geng said. “You can’t confine yourself to just one aspect.”