2021 ALZHEIMER’S CLINICAL TRIALS REPORT - ADDF

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It has long been understood that the number one risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is aging. But it has only been over the last few decades that researchers are digging deeper into the biology of aging to understand what happens in the aging brain that makes Alzheimer’s the fifth leading cause of death for people 65 and older. 

A deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms that cause Alzheimer’s, an approach the ADDF has long advocated, has led to a more robust and diverse pipeline of drugs and other treatments to target each of them. 

In this report, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) reviews the Alzheimer’s research pipeline and reports on not just the wide range of targets in research, but also a growing list of therapy types. We also take a look at how the ADDF has contributed to this progress. As of the date of the analysis for this report, the Alzheimer’s research pipeline included 208 active Alzheimer’s clinical trials, including 118 evaluating disease-modifying therapies. These trials, which are the focus of the first section of this report, are evaluating therapies that both treat Alzheimer’s symptoms and address its underlying causes— aiming to stop, slow or even reverse the course of the disease. 

Earlier Alzheimer’s research was heavily focused on the role of two misfolded proteins, amyloid and tau, that make up the hallmark Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles in the brain. While these and other misfolded proteins continue to have an important place in the research pipeline, the focus on the many other biology of aging targets is increasing quickly The disease-modifying trials that are the focus of the first section of this report are complemented by the trials reviewed in section 2 assessing treatments that do not alter the course of the disease, but that address Alzheimer’s symptoms like agitation, anxiety, depression and difficulty swallowing. Dozens of additional trials are looking at ways to prevent Alzheimer’s with both drug and lifestyle interventions, like stress reduction and changes in diet and exercise. 

The goal—which we are closer to than ever—is to find many effective treatments that doctors can combine to provide individualized treatment and care. This type of personalized medicine has driven recent advances in cancer care and the current research pipeline is poised to deliver the same for patients with Alzheimer’s. 

All of this adds up to an exciting landscape detailing an incredibly promising Alzheimer’s research pipeline.

https://www.alzdiscovery.org/uploads/media/ADDF-CTR-2021-06-singles.pdf