Your Health: Testing a new Alzheimer’s disease treatment

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia with more than five million people living with it.

Experts believe that number will rise to 14 million by 2050.

Treatments have been difficult to come by, with just one drug approved in the last two decades. But now, researchers are testing an investigational drug for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.

Cindy Raucci loves to work out. It keeps her body and mind health. Since her dementia diagnosis six years ago, her husband -- Frank -- has been with her around the clock, but the simple things get harder every day.

Her family has been searching for new therapies that might stop her decline. Raucci participated in one clinical trial in the past.

“I could tell it was helping her and after they closed the study down, I was then informed, probably six months to a year later, that she was actually getting the drug,” Frank Raucci said.

“Lately, in research, we have been using antibody therapy to remove amyloid, to remove tau,” said Dr. Paul Winner. “And they are showing us some benefit.”

Winner, a neurologist, is involved in another trial -- the Lift-Alzheimer’s Disease, or Lift-AD clinical trial. Researchers are testing an investigational drug -- known as ATH-1017 -- which is a small injection patients take at home. The goal is to slow down the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

The Raucci’s do everything in their power to keep Cindy’s mind active and they hope scientists will find something that stops the progression before it’s too late.

The Lift-AD trial will be enrolling patients until October and researchers expect the first results from the trial in about a year.

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