Health Matters: Drug May Slow Early Alzheimer’s

A new Alzheimer’s drug may help slow early stages of the disease. Researchers looked at over four hundred patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease over eighteen months. The group underwent two studies designed to test the effectiveness and safety of the new drugs. Some patients were given a high dose of the drug crenezumab (cray-nez-uh-mab), intravenously every four weeks. Others were given a low dose injection under the skin every other week And the remainder received a placebo. The drug did not meet its goals to delay cognitive and functional decline completely. But the high-dose IV form did show evidence of slowing the decline in individuals with a mild form of the disease. Cleveland clinic's Dr. Alexander Rae-grant did not participate in the study. He treats Alzheimer’s patients at Cleveland clinic and believes the results are encouraging from a research standpoint. The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s association international conference in Copenhagen.