"New Alzheimer’s Drug Shows Big Promise In Early Trial Results" - Pam Belluck
The long, discouraging quest for a medication that works to treat Alzheimer’s reached a potentially promising milestone on Wednesday. For the first time in a large clinical trial, a drug was able to both reduce the plaques in the brains of patients and slow the progression of dementia. Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, professor of neurology, psychiatry, and associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that for the drug to really be effective, it would have to allow patients to function longer independently without needing caregivers to help them with basic daily activities. That kind of practical application was not reflected in the data presented. “I wouldn’t say this is a quantum leap,” he said. “It is a convincing moving of the needle. But it’s not clear that the needle has moved far enough to make a difference in people’s lives.”
- Samuel Gandy, MD, PhD, Professor, Neurology, Psychiatry, Associate Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, The Mount Sinai Center for Cognitive Health and NFL Neurological Care
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