TL;DR
Alzheimer's changes can show up in the brain before any symptoms, and the drugs on the market today are approved only once symptoms show. Roche says PrevenTRON, a late-stage trial of its amyloid-clearing antibody trontinemab in people whose brains already show early Alzheimer's changes but who have no symptoms, "has recently started enrolling." The trial itself was announced in July; what is new this week is that volunteers are now signing up, and that its design and first screening results will be shown in Boston on Nov. 18. In the same release Roche gave its first conference date for an inflammation-blocking pill, plus a blood test it says can rule Alzheimer's plaque in or out. Put together, that is one drugmaker lining up a test, a shot and a pill aimed at catching the disease early and stopping it there. Earlier today we covered the 1,535-person Alzheimer's pill trial that reports next week (our story). Our odds that a prevention treatment for people without symptoms is approved: 60% that it comes through, likely by 2034. For the full odds and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads there, subscribe.
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