Scientists launch global trial of drug to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

A large major clinical trial has been launched to determine whether an experimental drug can stop Alzheimer’s disease before it causes memory loss or other symptoms in people considered to be at high risk.

The phase III study, known as PrevenTRON, will enrol about 1,600 adults aged between 55 and 80 who are cognitively healthy but have blood markers linked to the early development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Participants will receive trontinemab, an investigational therapy developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche, to assess whether the drug can delay or prevent the onset of dementia by targeting the disease in its earliest stages.

Researchers say the trial represents a shift in Alzheimer’s research, moving from treating patients after symptoms appear to intervening before irreversible brain damage occurs.

The study was unveiled at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London, where scientists described early intervention as one of the most promising strategies for tackling the disease.

Maria Carrillo, chief science officer at the Alzheimer’s Association, said treating Alzheimer’s before memory problems emerge could significantly improve long-term outcomes.

“This is the future of Alzheimer’s care, targeting the earliest stages of the disease, including in its silent stage before memory issues arise,” she said.

“This is when treatments may have the greatest benefit — perhaps even keeping people from ever experiencing dementia symptoms.”

Trontinemab works by clearing amyloid plaques, protein deposits that accumulate in the brain and are widely associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Early-stage studies suggest the drug removes these plaques after about three monthly infusions — a faster response than has been reported for currently approved amyloid-targeting therapies.

The trial builds on recent advances in blood-based screening, particularly the use of the biomarker p-tau217, which researchers say can identify people at risk of Alzheimer’s years before cognitive decline becomes apparent.

Data presented at the conference indicated that the blood test can detect the disease with up to 95 percent accuracy.

Another study involving nearly 2,700 adults with no signs of cognitive impairment found that those with the highest levels of the biomarker had a 78 percent likelihood of developing cognitive problems within a decade.

Rachel Buckley, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said positive results from the trial could fundamentally reshape the way Alzheimer’s disease is managed.

“If these trials are positive, the game changes,” she said.

Despite the optimism, scientists cautioned that evidence from larger studies is still required to establish whether removing amyloid plaques translates into meaningful protection against dementia or significantly delays cognitive decline.(TheCable)