Miracle’ Alzheimer’s drug that slows dementia could be approved in days and available on NHS next year
A "MIRACLE" drug which could help beat Alzheimer's disease could be approved in the US next week and be available on the NHS in 2022.
Around one million Brits suffer from Alzheimer's - a type of dementia which affects memory and thinking - which killed beloved Eastenders star Barbara Windsor.
Research shows that Aducanumab could slow mental decline in patients as it targets toxic proteins which damage brain cells.
According to the Mirror, US regulators the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are set to approve the drug within days.
If greenlit the drug would be the first ever to work against the disease which was first discovered in 1906.
Current Alzheimer’s drugs only treat the symptoms, rather than the underlying cause.
And after US approval, it's expected UK regulators would make the drug available on the NHS as early as next year.
Trial data is being studied to see whether Aducanumab slows down the decline in memory and language skills.
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Research has shown the drug slowed decline in sufferers by 22 per cent after 18 months of treatment.
All the patients given Aducanumab were at an early stage of the disease.
Barbara Windsor, also known for her roles in the Carry On films, was diagnosed with the disease in 2014 and died last December aged 83.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
The damage caused to the brain by Alzheimer's disease causes the symptoms commonly associated with dementia.
Indeed, it is the most common trigger for dementia.
Alzheimer's disease is named after the doctor who first described it in medical literature, Alois Alzheimer.
A hallmark of the disease is the build-up of amyloid beta proteins in the brain, to cause plaques.
This results in the loss of connections between nerve cells in the brain, and ultimately the death of those cells and a loss of brain tissue.
Those people living with Alzheimer's also have a shortage of some key chemicals in the brain, which help transmit messages.
A lack of these chemicals means the brain is unable to process some messages as it would previously.