Eli Lilly announced a big advancement in the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease Monday.
The Food and Drug Administration just approved Amyvid. The drug helps doctors diagnoseAlzheimer's disease.
The liquid is injected into the veins and if it doesn't combine with plaque in the brain, the patient doesn't have Alzheimer’s.
The developers said a negative test shows there are other reasons for mental decline, like depression.
One of the scientists who helped create the drug said the test is revolutionary.
"Up to now, Alzheimer’s disease has been diagnosed by a combination of clinical exams looking at the symptoms of patients and other tests to rule out other diseases but there has never been a way to see the amaloid plaque in the brain,†said Dr. Daniel Kovronsky, President of Avid Radiopharamaceuticals
“So this is really exciting and innovative because it allows us for the first time to see the pathology in the brain that you could only before see at autopsy, after a patient had died.â€
The drug was created by a company Lilly bought in 2010 for an upfront payment of $300 million, plus an additional $500 million if the products hit certain regulatory milestones.
No comments:
Post a Comment