Where Alzheimer's research headed to and why?

One of the biggest challenges facing public health systems is the rising number of dementia cases, but we do not yet have a cure for this condition. Over the past year, Alzheimer's research has been marred by controversy, making it appear as though more effective treatments are still a ways off. Is it necessary to expand our knowledge of Alzheimer's disease before we are able to treat it or even prevent it.

One of the biggest challenges facing public health systems is the rising number of dementia cases, but we do not yet have a cure for this condition. Over the past year, Alzheimer's research has been beset by controversy, limiting patients' access to effective treatments. Why is it so difficult to get clear data? First, it was important to reflect on the designs of the trials for Alzheimer’s treatments, said Prof. Bruce Albala, director of the Center for Clinical Research responsible for the oversight and implementation of clinical trials at UC Irvine, CA, in an email to Medical News Today. “One of the biggest challenges to advancing the development of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease has been in identifying, recruiting, and etaining the appropriate patients,” he told us. “What is more the length of the studies is fairly long, lasting years. This is because any treatment that is intended to slow the progression of the disease is dependent on the amount of time for non-treated or usual treatment control group to show worsening in their memory and daily activities compared to those receiving the investigational medication,” Prof. Albala explained. The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease is increasing rapidly. Some hail human monoclonal antibodies that clear beta-amyloid deposits from the brain as the first disease-modifying treatments for the condition. However, they are not without controversy — the Food and Drug Administration approved aducanumab despite a lack of evidence for its efficacy and concerns about adverse effects. Medical News Today spoke to a range of experts about the controversy.