AN ALZHEIMER’S therapy, being developed in part by Irish biotech group Elan and fast-tracked by the US regulator, has passed its first human trials.

ELND005, which is being developed with American firm Transition Therapeutics, is designed to treat people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Presenting phase one trial data for the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said the drug achieved “desired concentrations in human brain tissue and cerebro-spinal fluid”.

This has proved an insurmountable hurdle for a number of other drugs looking to address Alzheimer’s. No significant adverse side- effects emerged during the trial.

Preclinical data showed that the drug helps to preserve nerve cells that are critical to memory function in the brain. ELND005 is currently in phase two trials, having completed enrolment in that programme last October.

Elan and Transition Therapeutics have been working on the drug since 2006 when they announced an exclusive worldwide collaboration. The ELND005 programme is outside the remit of the deal announced at the start of the month which saw Johnson Johnson take control of a significant part of Elan’s Alzheimer’s programme and a stake in the company in exchange for funding.

That deal involved separate Alzheimer’s therapies being developed in association with Wyeth.

Effective therapies for Alzheimer’s are one of the most sought-after areas in modern medical science. About five million Americans are thought to have the disease.