TL;DR
Within a few weeks, people with Alzheimer's could learn whether a once-a-day pill can slow the disease by turning down the stress hormone cortisol inside the brain. Actinogen Medical says the 247-person pivotal trial of its pill, Xanamem, locked its data on Oct. 28, and results are due in mid-November. Today's approved Alzheimer's drugs are antibodies given by infusion, often on a heavy schedule; a pill would be far easier to live with, and this one goes after a target no approved drug touches. If it works, it would open a new front against the disease beyond the amyloid plaques most drugs chase. If it fails, it joins a long list of Alzheimer's pills that stumbled at this stage. Either way, it is one of two pill tests landing in the same month.
Below the line, for paid subscribers: The full story: where it stands, how we got here and what's dated next; our Odds board on 5 milestones, starting with "Actinogen reports that Xanamem met the main goal of its 247-person pivotal trial by 2026"; our labeled speculation on what it adds up to; and every source.