SEATTLE, June 5 (UPI) -- University of Washington scientists are testing two new drugs they hope will ease the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease patients.
One of the new medications seeks to remove the brain-altering plaque that partially causes Alzheimer's, the other is designed to prevent its production, the Seattle Times reported.
The newspaper said scientists are scrambling to make faster headway against the complicated disease. An estimated 4.5 million U.S. residents now have Alzheimer's, a number that is expected to increase to as many as 16 million by the year 2050, researchers at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center said.
The University of Washington's Alzheimer's Research Center is testing the two new drugs in patient trials that primarily assess their human safety and look for hints of effectiveness that have been seen in lab animals. Patients with mild to moderate symptoms are enrolled in the trials, the newspaper said.
