A drug that aims to reduce the clogging "tangles" in the brain cells of people with Alzheimer's disease appears promising in early trials, British researchers said on Tuesday as quoted by media reports.(Fil Photo)

A drug that aims to reduce the clogging "tangles" in the brain cells of people with Alzheimer's disease appears promising in early trials, British researchers said on Tuesday as quoted by media reports.

Researchers tested 321 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease at 17 centers in the United Kingdom and Singapore for 24 weeks.

They find that in the brain, there are tau proteins creating untidy mats of fibers called "tangles" that directly link to dementia in Alzheimer's disease.

The anti-tau drug can attack abnormal tangles and stabilize the progression of Alzheimer's over 50 weeks.

The new findings are promising, said study lead author Claude M. Wischik, professor in mental health at the University of Aberdeen, and chairman of TauRx Therapeutics.

"The data show an 82 percent of reduction in the rate which the disease progresses," said Wischik.

The study was a Phase II trial. A larger, and last Phase III drug trial, which looks at whether a drug works in large groups of people, is scheduled to begin next year.

Alzheimer's disease is incurable at present and is the most common form of dementia among older people.

(Agencies via Xinhua News Agency July 30,2008)