[ad_1]
Approximately 100,000 people in Sweden suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and now a solution may be on the way for those who have been affected.
The newspaper has previously drawn attention to a research project at Uppsala University that has been ongoing for almost 20 years with the aim of finding a drug.
– The idea was born in 1999 when we studied a family in the Upper Norrland with a special mutation, which we call arctic mutation. We developed an antibody and then it was humanized by a company that I and a colleague started 15 years ago. The company is named after this mutation, BioArctic. And now it turns out that it appears to work against Alzheimer’s disease, says promoter Lars Lannfelt, a professor and geriatrician at Uppsala University.
READ MOREThe antibody is tested against Alzheimer’s
Since 2007, the antibody against Alzheimer’s disease has been tested in patients on spins.
In the latest trial, which was a global study called Phase 2b, a total of 856 patients from Sweden, seven countries in Europe, the United States and Canada, Japan and South Korea participated. In Sweden, the Academic Hospital, the Malmö University Hospital and the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg participated.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, treated the patients for 18 months. It shows that the antibody, BAN2401, slows and slows the progression of the disease in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease.
– The field has not had such results before, but this is the first time such strong results have been seen in a large study, says Lars Lannfelt.
– This is very funny. This is promising for patients and families. And important to Uppsala University and to me personally and to all the researchers involved, who have been very numerous over the years, he continues.
What happens now
– Together with Eisai, we will develop it further. This is solid data. But the evidence only comes at a later stage once a successful Phase 3 study is completed. After that, the drug can be approved, and that’s what we hope for.
What would this mean for the investigation?
– It would be a great step forward. It has been very difficult to develop medications for Alzheimer’s disease. What we hope is that we can slow down the process, and the more you can slow it down, the better.
Several pharmaceutical companies have tried to develop Alzheimer’s drugs or vaccines over the years. Today, cures are lacking, but some medications may provide slight relief of symptoms.
[ad_2]
