24/07/2015
The first drug that may stop the effects of Alzheimer's has been revealed.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly divulged initial data of the effects of its new Alzheimer’s drug solanezumab at the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Washington, DC last July 22, 2015.
Alzheimer's is caused by brain cell death and current medication are designed to only combat symptoms of the disease. Solanezumab, however, may help in keeping brain cells alive and thus stop the effects of Alzheimer’s patients with mild symptoms.
Eli Lilly’s looked at data involving more than 1,000 patients who volunteered to participate in a 3-year trial of the drug. Preliminary data showed that the drug was able to slow down progression of the disease by at least 34%. Patients who have been taking the drug for the longest period have shown the most positive results.
Trials are currently being conducted by Eli Lilly to further study the drug’s efficacy and results will be made available in 2016. But it is projected that the drug could be available in 2018 upon approval by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and MHRA (Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency).
UK currently has 850,000 dementia sufferers and it is expected to grow to 1 million by 2025. Dementia claims 60,000 lives annually and costs the UK £26 billion. One out of six Alzheimer’s or dementia patients are aged 80 or above.
Dr Eric Karran, Alzheimer’s Research UK director, told The Telegraph last July 22, 2015 that the results of the data by Eli Lilly is encouraging.
Karran further said: “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."
