Roche Holding, the well-known Swiss drugmaker, unveiled its intention to delve into the potential of an experimental drug to stave off or delay the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. This announcement came on Sunday, highlighting the company’s growing focus on addressing this serious condition.
The clinical trials for the medication, named Trontinemab, will be directed towards individuals who are at risk of facing cognitive decline. The primary goal of this study is to find ways to delay or avert the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s, as stated by Roche.
Trontinemab is uniquely formulated to cross the blood-brain barrier—a set of protective blood vessels that safeguards the brain from certain substances in the bloodstream—aiming to enhance the delivery of treatment directly to brain areas.
In the competitive sphere of Alzheimer’s research, rivals like Eli Lilly are also making strides. Just last week, Lilly’s drug Kisunla received a recommendation for approval for specific patients from the European Medicines Agency, while it is already authorized for use in the U.S.
Existing Alzheimer’s treatments, which include Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi as well as Lilly’s Kisunla, focus on eliminating harmful clumps of a protein known as amyloid beta from the brain. However, these treatments come with high costs and potential side effects, including severe swelling and bleeding in the brain.
(Reporting by Angela Christy and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)
