A prospective drug that uses a new approach to treat Alzheimer's disease

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(MK8931)

Merck researchers released some of the first detailed information on a prospective drug that uses a new approach to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

In an annual business briefing today with industry analysts and the media, top researchers from the pharmaceutical company discussed the promising results of the first early studies of the drug candidate, which is known now only as MK-8931.

The prospective drug works by inhibiting enzymes that foster the build-up of amyloid plaque, a trademark of the irreversible, degenerative disease. What makes it different, researchers explained, was the way it targets the so-called BACE enzyme to stop the accumulation of amyloid plaque.

The target has proved to be a difficult and elusive one to drug makers, according to Darryle Schoepp, the company’s head scientist for neuroscience and ophthalmology.The industry has studied drugs that target the BACE enzyme for the past decade without successfully developing a drug that works.

For the drug industry, finding a new drug to treat and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s has proven to be a high-stakes gamble involving years of expensive research that has yielded slight promise of producing new medicines. Yet, the growing numbers of Alzheimer’s patients -- there are 5.4 million people diagnosed with the disease in the U.S., alone -- creates a huge opportunity for the company that succeeds in developing a new treatment. Continue to read: nj.com

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