One of the drugs developed by Merck, which is currently undergoing clinical trials, reportedly shows promise in treating Alzheimer's disease.
Merck's Verubecestat For Alzheimer's
The drug verubecestat has been found to be effective against the formation of beta amyloid plaque, the protein buildup in the brain, reports a team from Merck Research Laboratories. However, whether halting the sticky protein buildup could slow down the mental decline in Alzheimer's patients is yet to be studied.
If Merck's verubecestat is found effective in treating cognitive decline in the major clinical trials, which are currently underway, it would be the first drug approved for use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in more than a decade.
Matt Kennedy, who led the trial, noted that the therapeutic options currently available for Alzheimer's disease improve cognitive symptoms to a small extent but don't treat the underlying causes. Therefore, there is big need for a therapy that targets the root cause of the disease.
Merck's Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial
According to the study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on Nov. 2, the researchers tested verubecestat in 32 patients with early stage Alzheimer's disease. While all the patients received the drug for seven days, the healthy controls were asked to take the drug for two weeks.
Though no difference in plaque accumulation was seen in MRI scans, the amount of plaque-forming components in the cerebrospinal fluid samples taken from patients were found to have been reduced.
Mechanism Of Action Of Verubecestat
Verubecestat blocks the enzyme BACE1, which plays a role in the production of two molecules that link together to form the amyloid plaque. It is noted that people with BACE1 gene mutation are observed to be resistant to Alzheimer's disease.
However, this is not the first drug to target BACE1, since a number of attempts made earlier aimed at inhibiting the enzyme failed as a result of side effects that included eye problems and liver toxicity. The clinical trial by Merck involving verubecestat is the first large-scale trial conducted for Alzheimer's by far and the drug is also said to have fewer side effects than those previously tested.
It is reported that the drug is being tested in 1,500 patients in very early stages of Alzheimer's disease and 2,000 patients suffering from mild to moderate levels of dementia. The results of first phase of these trials are expected to be out in July 2017.
"People are excited," said John Hardy, a neuroscientist at University College London who first reported the role of amyloid plaque in Alzheimer's disease, reported The Guardian. "This is a very nice drug and I'm sure Merck are feeling very pleased with themselves."
