Some of the first positive results of her experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease pharmaceutical company announced yesterday Eli Lillywho in the next three months is going to apply for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) United States for his approval, and then he will do the same with the relevant regulators in other countries.

The news revived hopes for yet another effective treatment for this chronic neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, characterized by gradual memory loss and limitation of the remaining mental functions of the brain. But it also caused Eli Lilly’s share price to soar on Wall Street.

Donanemab (donanemab), as the formulation is called, achieved — according to the company — all of the primary and secondary goals of an eighteen-month clinical trial, slowing disease progression by 35-36% (compared to placebo) in 1,182 early studies. staged patients. That is, these patients experienced a slower decline in memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities.

The pharmaceutical company is set to submit an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval within the next three months.

In another smaller group of 552 people with advanced stage, the drug was not as effective on their memory and cognition, slowing the disease by 22%.

However, there was no shortage of side effects: about 24% of people who took part in clinical trials and received this particular drug experienced cerebral edema, some had a cerebral hemorrhage, and three died.

Eli Lilly has invested billions of dollars and several decades in research to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s, and Biogen, which has been leading the race after collaborating with the Japanese company Eisai, has already received FDA approval since the beginning of January after their own drug, Leqembi.

It is estimated that more than 50 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease today, and this number is expected to increase dramatically in the near future due to increasing life expectancy in both developed and developing countries.