US based drug company, Biogen, has announced they have created the first therapy believed to slow Alzheimer’s disease, and are ready to bring it to the market.
Biogen, is believed to be seeking regulatory approval in the US for the new drug, which will be a pioneering step forward as there are no drugs that can reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia at present.
INNOVATIVE
The “ground-breaking” drug, called aducanumab, should have paperwork filed by 2020 with US medical governing body, FDA.
Approval of drugs can take between one and two years, and – if successful – Biogen aim to offer the drug to patients who previously enrolled in clinical trials.
Biogen‘s chief executive Michel Vounatsos said: “We are hopeful about the prospect of offering patients the first therapy to reduce the clinical decline of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dubbing themselves as the pioneers in neuroscience, if the drug is regulated and hits the market it has the potential to help millions of people worldwide.
POTENTIAL
With an estimated 850,000 people in the UK alone living with Alzheimer’s, aducanumab is a pioneering step in the right direction to, potentially, change the lives of people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Hilary Evans from Alzheimer’s Research UK added: “People affected by Alzheimer’s have waited a long time for a life-changing new treatment and this exciting announcement offers new hope that one could be in sight.
“Taking another look at aducanumab is a positive step for all those who took part in the clinical trials and the worldwide dementia research community.
“As more data emerges, we hope it will spark global discussions about the next steps for delivering much-needed treatments into people’s hands.”
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