New Drug Is Turning Point' In Dementia Fight

Breakthrough Alzheimer's treatment can slow rate of decline by up to 60%

- Giles Sheldrick

SCIENTISTS hailed a "turning point" in the war on dementia after a trial drug slowed Alzheimer's by up to 60 per cent.

Test results revealed that donanemab gave some people at least a year longer without the disease progressing.

In a major breakthrough, patients at an early stage of the brain-wasting condition had near-normal mental function and Dr Richard Oakley, of Alzheimer's Society, said: "This is truly a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's and science is proving it is possible to slow down the disease."

The watershed moment that will give hope to millions has been called a "new era" in tackling complex neurological conditions which have baffled scientists for decades.

Researchers urged regulators to be ready to accelerate trials, to up the availability of treatment suites and, if tests are successful, to make licensing decisions quickly.

They also demanded NHS capacity to scan patients at risk of the disease is increased so the drug can benefit as many as possible.

World-renowned neuroscientist Prof Sir John Hardy said: "The major immediate task will be to organise NHS provision to be able to use these therapies."

The results of a global trial were welcomed at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference taking place in Amsterdam. They suggest dementia may effectively be put into remission.

It might in future be treated as a chronic condition, such as diabetes or asthma, where sufferers receive treatments that let them manage the symptoms and enjoy fulfilled lives. US pharma giant Eli Lilly said the anti-amyloid antibody, given intravenously, slowed down by around one third the rate at which memory and thinking skills decline.