ALZHEMED

ALZHEMED is a proposed Alzheimer's medication by Neurochem Inc. A clinical trial of the drug, Alzhemed, will wrap up in January, 2007.

The results of the clinical trials of Alzhemed is expected in the spring.

Alzhemed's purpose is keeping Alzheimer's disease from slowly, relentlessly destroying the brain, something no drug has yet done.

Statistics on Alzheimer's disease

• In the USA, AD was the 7th leading cause of death in 2004, with 65,829 number of deaths (and rising).
• At over $100 billion per year, AD is the third most costly disease in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer.
• There are an estimated 24 million people with dementia worldwide.
• By 2040, it is projected that this figure will have increased to 81 million.
• An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.
• It is projected that 14.3 million Americans will have the disease by mid-century: a 350 percent increase from 2000.
• The federal government estimates spending approximately $647 million for Alzheimer’s disease research in fiscal year 2005.
• The average lifetime cost of care for an individual with Alzheimer’s is $174,000.