Annual Alzheimer's clinical trials pipeline report shows increased reason for optimism
Our Team's Takeaways
Key points summarized by the MDLinx Team.
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.
The annual Alzheimer’s disease drug development pipeline report is led by Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, a renowned Alzheimer’s clinician-scientist. The report reviews the status and associated trends related to all 182 active clinical trials and assesses 138 drugs currently being studied.
“There is good reason for optimism,” said Dr. Cummings, a research professor with the department of brain health within the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. “This year’s report reveals a number of very encouraging developments in Alzheimer’s research, including significantly more phase 1 clinical trials and several additional drugs that have shown enough promise to warrant further study.”
Worldwide, more than 57 million people suffer from dementia. In the US, Alzheimer’s kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
Cummings’ 2025 annual report is featured in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, a journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. All stages of the Alzheimer’s continuum are being studied, from those showing no symptoms to those with mild cognitive impairment and moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Cummings, the urgency to find a cure for Alzheimer’s is reflected in the number of repurposed drugs (46) in the pipeline. He says that repurposed drugs can be brought to market faster as they’ve been deemed safe for other uses. He also noted the increasingly important role of biomarkers as a tool for eligibility and evaluation of clinical trials.
“Seeing the broad range of scientific research that’s taking place, I am extremely hopeful that we are closer than ever to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s,” said Cummings. “It’s not just the increased amount of clinical trials, but the targeted therapies being studied – there’s great reason for optimism.”
This article was originally published on Newswise: Alzheimer's and Dementia.