Phase II Trial Results Announced For Potential Alzheimer’s Drug

Results have been announced today from a phase II trial of a potential Alzheimer’s treatment. The 18-month trial tested two compounds called AD02 and AD04 in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The trial, carried out by biotechnology company AFFiRiS, was designed to test whether AD02 may help people with Alzheimer’s. However, the results announced today suggest that AD04 may carry benefits for tackling the disease. In the trial, which recruited 332 people with Alzheimer’s, clinical symptoms of 47% of those taking AD04 were reported to have stabilised.

Dr Eric Karran, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:
“The full data from this trial is yet to be released. Until that time it’s not possible to interpret these findings, especially as it would seem that there is no relevant control group with which to assess the potential benefit to patients. Ultimately, to be sure whether AD04 can benefit people with Alzheimer’s, we would need to see it tested against a placebo in much larger trials.

“We currently lack any treatment capable of halting the progress of Alzheimer’s, which affects a staggering half a million people in the UK. We urgently need new treatments capable of stopping the disease in its tracks, which means it’s vital to continue investing in research.”