Major Alzheimer’s drug candidate fails test

In Context 

• Roche’s Alzheimer’s drug candidate could not be shown to slow dementia progression in two drug trials.

About 

• The twin studies, known as Graduate 1 and 2, had not reached their main goal of showing that the drug gantenerumab could preserve abilities such as remembering, solving problems, orientation and personal care in patients suffering from early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Gantenerumab was designed to bind to aggregated forms of beta-amyloid and remove brain amyloid plaques, which are believed to play a crucial role in the slowly progressing dementia disease.

Alzheimer’s threat

• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
• It is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.
• It involves parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language.
• It is difficult to diagnose, especially during its early stages.
• It can seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.
• Most of the 55 million people suffering from dementia worldwide are likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease, according to the World Health Organisation. In 2030, dementia is expected to affect 78 million.

Source:IE