Dementia drug may be available in three years

First treatment to tackle cause of dementia could be available by 2018 after successful human trial

The first drug capable of slowing the development of Alzheimer’s disease could be available within three years. Tests showed that Solanezumab can prevent mental decline by a third. It is the first time a drug has been shown to attack the underlying disease itself, rather than the symptoms.

THE first drug that slows down Alzheimer’s disease could be available within three years after trials showed it prevented mental decline by a third.

In a landmark announcement, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly said Solanezumab had been shown to put the brakes on memory loss and cognitive decline in those with mild symptoms of dementia. It is the first time that a drug has been shown to tackle the underlying disease process, rather than just the symptoms.

Although trials are continuing and will not end until next year, the treatment could be available for use by 2018 if approved by the Medicines & Health- care products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

Health experts said the research demonstrated a “huge step forward from the current treatment options”.

Alzheimer’s is caused when sticky amyloid plaques form in the brain, preventing neurons from communicating with each other. Solanezumab is an antibody which binds to amyloid in its early soluble form, allowing it to be cleared by the body before it can form dangerous plaques.

The drug was originally developed for those with late-stage dementia but was found to be ineffective. However, researchers noticed that it was having an impact on people with mild symptoms.

The breakthrough is timely because tests are in development that could pick up Alzheimer’s 10 years before the first symptoms emerge, meaning that treatment could start very early and perhaps prevent the plaques forming.

Prof Richard Morris, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, said the latest research was significant because it proved that amyloid plaques were driving dementia and showed that preventing them forming was the key to slowing or stopping the disease.

“This is not a mouse study, it’s a people study. And that matters,” he added.

The trial followed 1,322 people with mild Alzheimer’s for three and a half years. Cognitive tests showed that the mental decline of those taking the drug was a third less over the period than those on placebo.

“The results provide encouraging evidence that Solanezumab could indeed be acting on the disease processes that drive Alzheimer’s,” said Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“Although this effect represents a small improvement for people experiencing mild symptoms, it will be important for longer trials to explore whether this treatment could produce greater benefits in the long- term.”

Around 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia. In less than 10 years, a million people will be living with the condition. This is expected to double by 2051.

Dr Doug Brown, the head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “After a decade of no new therapies for dementia, today’s news is an exciting step forward.

“We will have to wait for the ongoing trials to finish to know the full risks and benefits of these drugs. If they are positive, these drugs will be the first identified to directly interfere with the disease process and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.”

Results released yesterday also showed that two other drugs, Gantanerumab and Aducanumab, were effective at reducing biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease and offered early hope of new treatments.

The research was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington DC.