Research finds tablet effective in slowing progression of Alzheimer’s disease over 18 months
Ella Day | April 10, 2025 | News story | Research and Development | Alzheimer's disease, Neurology, TauRx Pharmaceutics, research and development
TauRx Pharmaceutics reports that hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) could be an oral treatment for slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease over a period of at least 18 months. If approved by regulators, HMTM could be the first oral treatment for the disease that targets the tau protein.
Conventionally, targeted therapies for Alzheimer’s focused on amyloid protein rather than tau protein. TauRx has developed the only tau protein to have completed phase 3 trials, setting the company apart from other biopharma companies focused on treating neurodegenerative diseases.
TauRx’s findings were drawn from HMTM’s recent phase 3 trial and placebo data from closely matched subjects available from the Critical Path in AD (CPAD) Institute database. This contains information from nearly 10,000 patients that have taken part in 36 global trials. The findings were revealed at this year’s Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases Conference in Vienna, Austria during the first week of April.
HMTM data demonstrated a slower progression of Alzheimer’s according to both the ADAS-cog scoring system and the clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale, both used internationally to assess the severity and progression of the disease in patients.
TauRx has applied for marketing authorisation from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as well as feedback from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the suitability for the drug for use within the NHS.
Claude Wischik, TauRx chief executive officer and co-founder, who led the research, said: “Although this is not a cure, the research suggests that starting HMTM treatment early in the disease process can substantially delay progression.” He added that it “has potential to be a safe and accessible oral treatment option for early to mild/moderate Alzheimer’s disease which could be delivered with minimal patient and physician burden”.
Ella Day
10/4/25
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