‘Hope on the horizon' as drugs assessed for Alzheimer's prevention
Dementia experts have said that 'hope is on the horizon' after a new review shows a rise in the number of potential drugs that could treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
Some 138 treatments are being assessed in clinical trials.
A third of drugs currently being trialled are 'repurposed' medications that are already being used to tackle other diseases, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis and cholesterol, according to the new review.
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One such trial is assessing whether semaglutide, the main ingredient for the weight loss and diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss drug Wegovy, can slow the progression of dementia.
And four late-stage trials are looking at preventing disease.
Experts said that drugs targeting amyloid protein build up in the brain, such as lecanemab and donanemab, are 'only one part of the overall strategy' as they expressed excitement over the variety of new drugs, which are being tested among patients.
The new review of Alzheimer's disease in clinical trials in 2025 found 182 clinical trials assessing the impact of 138 drugs.
The number of trials represents an 11% increase on the previous year, according to the review, which was led by an expert from the University of Nevada in the US and has been published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.
Commenting on the paper, Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: 'This year has really given us real cause for optimism.'
She said that as well as more drugs coming through the pipeline, the treatment targets are 'more diverse' and 'looking at all stages of the disease'.
She added: 'What this paper is showing us is that the pipeline of drug development is growing, it's diversifying and accelerating.'
'This latest report shows us that there is hope on the horizon for people with Alzheimer's, building on lecanemab and donanemab.'
Dr Emma Mead, chief scientific officer of the Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, added: 'Today we are at a tipping point in dementia research as we understand more and more about the diseases that drive dementia.
'This gives us opportunities to slow and ultimately stop this devastating condition and today's announcement demonstrates that researchers are able to translate these understandings towards potential new treatments.'
James Rowe, professor of cognitive neurology at the University of Cambridge and consultant neurologist, said: 'What strikes me is not just the number of new drugs, which is increasing year on year, but their range of targets (and) the range in which they work, giving us multiple shots on goal.'
On the drugs which are being investigated for the prevention of disease, Prof Rowe said: 'One of the most exciting things of this report is the number of large-scale late-stage trials on prevention.
'And the aspiration to prevent, not just treat, is starting to be seen in the figures we see in these charts today.'
He added: 'One way this can work is you take a treatment that you show to be working in people with symptoms with the illness, and then you simply bring it forward by some years.
'The ones that are in trial at the moment are really… bringing forward an effective treatment to earlier stage.'
For instance, people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer's could receive some drugs earlier to see if they protect against the disease.
On the repurposing of current drugs, Dr Mead said that it can usually take 10 to 15 years for new drugs to be tested and approved for use.
'Being able to repurpose drugs licensed for other health conditions could help to accelerate progress and help to open up other avenues to prevent or treat dementia causing diseases,' she said.
'A really promising example of this is the drug semaglutide, which is currently being trialled in people with mild cognitive impairment.'
Meanwhile, academics said lecanemab and donanemab, which can be used for treating mild cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's patients, are an 'important first step' in the battle against the disease.
The treatments were initially approved for UK use by regulators but then deemed not cost-effective for NHS use.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) is taking more evidence on donanemab and lecanemab and is expected to announce its decision in the summer.
Dr Scales added: 'Lecanemab and donanemab have represented a huge leap forward in our understanding and ability to be able to treat Alzheimer's disease.
'What they've done is they've proved that we're able to modify the course of Alzheimer's disease, and what that has done is opened up the door to future treatments that we hope are more effective, easier to deliver and and able to deliver for our patients.'
She said studies are showing 'even more complexities' around Alzheimer's and that in the future, people may be treated with a combination of drugs, depending on when they are diagnosed and the type of dementia they have.
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'This paper shows that 2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Alzheimer's disease drug development.
'With more trials under way than ever before and more drugs entering the pipeline, there is hope on the horizon for the nearly one million people living with dementia in the UK.'
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