Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Study results for three experimental drugs for Alzheimer's are expected in the coming months after more than a decade of failed attempts to find a way to slow down the disease.

There is no known cure for Alzheimer's. Current medicines just temporarily ease symptoms of the mind-robbing disease.

Results are due within a month or so from key studies of two drugs that aim to clear the sticky plaque gumming up patients' brains. And results from a small, early test of a third drug will be reported next week at an Alzheimer's conference in Canada.

Experts say that if these three treatments fail, drug companies may pull out of the field in frustration. An estimated 5 million Americans have the disease.