A new sort of Alzheimer’s drug shows glimmers of promise

The experimental drug lowered tau levels and showed small improvements in memory loss

An illustration shows blue hubs filled with threadlike squiggles to denote tau in the brain. Fuzzy brown orbs represent amyloid plaques. Both are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

An experimental drug targets tau (seen in blue in this illustration), a protein that forms toxic tangles in Alzheimer’s disease. Other recently approved drugs target the buildup of amyloid plaques (brown).

National Institute on Aging/NIH

LONDON — An experimental drug can sweep tangles of tau from the brain, raising hopes that the treatment could help Alzheimer’s disease patients, according to clinical trial data released July 14.