Two positive Phase II studies announced at Alzheimer's Association International Conference

Two treatments for Alzheimer’s disease have shown promise and achieved positive Phase II/IIb trial results, as announced at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

The Phase IIb trial of RVT-101 from privately-held Axovant Sciences was a 48-week study of 684 people with mild or moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease, where participants received either 35mg or 15mg of RVT-101, or a placebo, plus existing Alzheimer’s treatment, donepezil. At the higher dose, RVT-101 with donepezil appeared able to improve patients’ memory and thinking when compared to donepezil. A Phase III trial is now being planned. The drug works by boosting levels of several brain chemicals that are thought to be critical for alertness, memory and thinking.

Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “These results suggest that, when combined with an existing symptomatic treatment, RVT-101 may be able to provide some additional relief from the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Current treatments that address the symptoms may only have a small effect for some people, so if these findings are confirmed in a larger study this would be welcome news for many people with Alzheimer’s. It will be critical to determine how well RVT-101 might be able to improve memory and thinking over the long-term, and we look forward to seeing the results of future trials of this drug in much larger groups of people. In the meantime, it’s crucial to continue to invest in research to find ways of slowing or stopping Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks.”