A new pill that ‘slows down Alzheimer’s’ is being considered for use in the NHS.
Developed by a small British firm in Aberdeen called TauRX Hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) is a daily pill that works by preventing the build up of clumps of protein called tau in the brain, according to preclinical studies.
Hydromethylthionine could slow cognitive decline and brain atrophy in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Regulators are due to make a decision on the drug in April.
If it is approved by both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the NHS spending watchdog, it would represent the biggest step forward in the treatment of NHS dementia patients in decades.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is a brain disorder which slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and often heartbreakingly stops the ability to carry out daily tasks.
Earlier this year hopes of an Alzheimer’s treatment breakthrough were dashed for millions of people after the medicines watchdog ruled a breakthrough drug was too expensive for use on the NHS.
Lecanemab is the world’s first drug proven to slow the disease’s progression, with trials showing it slowed cognitive decline by 27% over 18 months.
It was even given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which decides whether medicines are safe for use.
However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced it would not recommend its use on the NHS as the benefits are “too small to justify the costs”.
David Thomas, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the drug would likely be out of reach for “all but the very most wealthy of individuals”.
He added: “We believe that if there’s a licensed drug that is safe and effective, judged by the regulator, then that needs to be available to NHS patients, and not just whose with the ability to pay.”
