Treatment Shows Promise Of Stopping Alzheimer's Progression
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A new treatment is showing promise in stopping the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
In a small study, four patients were given an antibody treatment called Gammagard Ivig. The drug is given through an IV every two weeks and targets the protein that forms plaque on the brain.
The four patients saw no decline in their memory, thinking skills, or daily functions.
"Those who got the most effective dose in the initial study were effectively unchanged after three years, which is an unexpected and happy result," said Dr. Norman Relkin of the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Right now, there are no drugs approved to slow the progression of Alzheimer's.
This study, along with two others underway, are a critical moment in the history of dealing with the disease as 16 million Americans are expected to have Alzheimer's by the year 2050.
