Hopes are increasing again for a drug to alter the course of Alzheimer’s disease after decades of failures. An experimental therapy slowed mental decline by 30 percent in patients who got the highest dose in a mid-stage study.

The drug from Eisai and Biogen did not meet its main goal in a study of 856 participants, so overall, it was considered unsuccessful. But company officials said that 161 people who got the highest dose every two weeks for 18 months did significantly better than 245 people who were given a dummy treatment.

The study, which was led by company scientists rather than academic researchers (and not reviewed by outside experts) was too small to be definitive. The results need to be confirmed with more work, dementia experts said. But they welcomed any glimmer of success after multiple failures.

Read the full story here (Via AP News)

Glasgow Memory Clinic remains at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research globally and will continue to strive to find better treatments for those with memory impairment, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.