Alzheimer's drug study gives 'tantalising' results

[nitpicker]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-37222863

Alzheimer's drug study gives 'tantalising' results

By Caroline Parkinson
Health editor, BBC News website


31 August 2016

From the section Health


A drug that destroys the characteristic protein plaques that build up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's is showing "tantalising" promise, scientists say. Experts are cautious because the drug, Aducanumab, is still in the early stages of development. But a study in Nature has shown it is safe and hinted that it halts memory decline. Larger studies are now under way to fully evaluate the drug's effects.
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This study, of 165 patients, was designed to test Aducanumab was safe to take. After a year of treatment, it also showed the higher the dose the stronger the effect on amyloid plaques. The researchers then carried out tests on memory and found "positive effects". However, 40 people dropped out of the study, half because of side effects they experienced, such as headaches. These too were much more common with a higher dosage.

The next phase of research - phase 3 - involves two separate studies. These are recruiting 2,700 patients with very early stage Alzheimer's across North America, Europe and Asia in order to fully test the drug's effect on cognitive decline.
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