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An annual review of clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease highlights a growing number of active trials—and drugs—in the development pipeline and offers optimism for the global effort to find a cure.

Of all the medical challenges that scientists have faced, Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has been one of the trickiest. Between 1995 and 2021 private money spent on Alzheimer’s research totalled $42.5bn, but more than 140 trials failed to deliver a single drug capable of slowing the disease. Yet the tide may be turning. There are two working drugs, offering modest benefits, on the market. A new review paper suggests more could soon follow.

There are more potential new medicines being tested for Alzheimer’s disease, according to an annual review published today. It reports that 138 drugs are currently being tested – an increase of nearly 9% from last year. This is great news, because the more drugs that scientists test, the greater the chance that new and effective medicines will soon become a reality for people living with dementia.

The human mind fascinated Dr. Jeffrey Cummings long before he became an international authority on Alzheimer’s disease.

A ºÚÁÏÍø professor is being honored for his lifetime contributions in the areas of dementia and drug development. Dr. Jeff L. Cummings is a research professor at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at ºÚÁÏÍø.

ScholarGPS said Dr. Jeffrey L. Cummings received the title for his lifetime contributions in the areas of dementia and drug development.

Doctor Jeffrey Cummings is world-renowned in the field of Alzheimer’s research and he leads ºÚÁÏÍø’s Center for Transformative Neuroscience. He and six other scientists published research Wednesday that looked at the potential existing drugs have for the research and treatment of Alzheimer’s, for example, drugs like rasagiline for Parkinson’s or bexarotene for cancer. It’s called repurposing.

Axsome’s expectation that AXS-05 can win market share from Rexulti is partly built on the belief that the drug candidate has a differentiated safety profile. Rexulti has a boxed warning because of an increased risk of death. There were no deaths in the AXS-05 trials. Jeffrey Cummings, a research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, discussed what may happen if AXS-05 avoids a boxed warning.