Drug developed at University of Edinburgh enters phase 2 trials in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Professor Brian Walker, Professor Jonathan Seckl and Dr. Scott Webster (all Centre for Cardiovascular Science) have developed a drug, Xanamem, that has just entered Phase II clinical trials and been administered to the first patient by Actinogen Medical in Australia. This is the first patient to be enrolled into the trial (XanADu) globally, and represents a significant milestone following more than a decade of research undertaken by the University of Edinburgh and Actinogen Medical, to develop Xanamem as a promising new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Xanamem has been specifically designed to block the production of excess cortisol in the brain. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the body in times of stress and there is a growing body of independent research that shows a strong association between excess cortisol and Alzheimer’s disease.