Verubecestat

New Alzheimer’s Drug Wildly Successful In Trials

By Michael Gardiner on November 3, 2016This may soon become the first Alzheimer's drug to receive FDA approval in more than a decade.Wikimedia Commons

The brain plaques that are at the root of Alzheimer’s, as seen under a microscope.

Imagine a pill that can treat Alzheimer’s.

Researchers have found that pharmaceutical giant Merck’s new drug, verubecestat, can successfully switch off production of the toxic amyloid proteins believed to be behind the disease in preliminary trials.

Verubecestat stops amyloid proteins from forming the sticky plaques that disrupt signals inside the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. These brain plaques are the disease’s most visible sign that doctors can find./.../