Therapy Developments in Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

The development of new therapies to treat Alzheimer's disease is a focus of global drug discovery. Research is being conducted into more potent therapies for symptomatic treatment, particularly for behavioral disturbances, but also into drugs that intervene in the pathophysiology of the disease, with the aim of halting or at least slowing the progression of the disease. To this end, the focus of identifying people with Alzheimer's disease is shifting to stages of pre-dementia such as that of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), almost synonymous with prodromal AD, or even to asymptomatic stages. Currently, passive immunization using monoclonal antibodies against Aβ42 has shown the most encouraging results. However, it has not been possible to demonstrate statistically significant differences on the primary target parameters in multiple completed pivotal trials. The anti-amyloid antibody aducanumab received conditional preliminary approval in the U.S. based on amyloid reduction; approval for its use in Europe is an ongoing process. Current pharmacological treatments of Alzheimer's disease offer limited symptomatic benefit. No drugs to delay progression of the disease is yet on the market in Germany. Therefore, it is recommended that patients, especially those in pre-dementia stages or at the onset of Alzheimer's disease, be encouraged to participate in clinical trials in order to help develop new drugs that are more effective in the treatment of this disease and that can then benefit many more patients in the future.