Professor Claude Wischik
Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at TauRx Pharmaceuticals
Following more than a decade of no real progress in finding effective treatments, the need for continued research into Alzheimer’s disease is more critical than ever.
Although treatments are available to reduce Alzheimer’s disease (AD) symptoms, no disease-modifying drug able to halt or reverse cognitive decline has been found.
In recent years, the disappointing results of several clinical trials in AD have dominated the news making some in the pharmaceutical industry question their involvement in research of this condition. However, the need for ongoing clinical research into AD is more important than ever.
An estimated 47 million people are living with AD. This figure is predicted to reach epidemic proportions in the next 30 years and threatens to have a major socio-economic impact on people, caregivers and public healthcare systems worldwide.
Targeting novel Alzheimer’s pathways
So far, most research has focused on amyloid-based treatments in late-stage AD but none of these have completed clinical development. Fortunately, other therapies are being investigated with a focus on the earlier stages of AD, where degeneration of the neurons in the brain could be halted or even reversed.
The Tau tangle pathway is an increasingly interesting avenue to pursue. Tau tangles typically appear years before AD symptoms are apparent, which is why TauRx has focused its research in this area for nearly 30 years.
New Phase III dementia research
TauRx has started recruitment into its latest clinical trial, LUCIDITY. People with early symptoms of AD will be studied to confirm the potential of TauRx’s treatment and assess whether it can delay progression of disease pathology in patients with early AD. In previous trials, this treatment has demonstrated potentially beneficial results, and so we believe it is important to pursue this avenue of research to find lasting solutions for patients and their families.
Continued clinical research and collaboration into novel AD therapies is more important than ever. Together, we can go further and faster to provide major advances to patients, carers and healthcare systems, and to offer hope in this devastating disease.
