Research outlook

Where Alzheimer's disease treatment is heading

Alzheimer's disease · Updated Nov 12, 2026

Two antibody drugs slow early Alzheimer's by roughly a quarter to a third, and blood tests can now confirm the disease. The next questions are whether newer versions work better, and whether treating before symptoms prevents them.

  1. Now

    Nov 2026

    Two antibodies slow early declineHappened 27% slower decline, lecanemab

    Lecanemab and donanemab remove amyloid and slow decline in early disease. Both need brain-scan monitoring for swelling and small bleeds.

    27%: slower decline over 18 months with lecanemab.

    At-home injection approvedHappened

    A weekly autoinjector of lecanemab was approved for starting and continuing treatment, so infusions are no longer required.

    Blood tests can confirm the diseaseHappened 4 tests FDA-cleared

    Blood tests now stand in for a PET scan or spinal tap in showing whether amyloid is present.

    4: blood tests cleared by the FDA.

  2. 6 months

    by May 2027

    Remternetug phase 3 data shownPossible

    Lilly's follow-up to donanemab, given as an injection. Its first phase 3 trial finished in May 2026 and measured how many people cleared amyloid.

    Psychosis drug trials finishPossible

    Three trials of KarXT, a schizophrenia drug, for hallucinations and delusions in Alzheimer's reach their completion dates.

    AR1001 pill phase 3 resultPossible

    A daily pill tested in 1,535 people with early disease. Its registered completion date was June 2026.

  3. 12 months

    by Nov 2027

    Blood tests reach ordinary clinicsPossible 4 tests FDA-cleared

    With four tests cleared, confirming the disease moves from specialist centers to primary care.

    4: blood tests cleared by the FDA.

    First tau-plus-amyloid combination dataPossible

    A tau antibody, E2814, given together with lecanemab in 105 people.

    Donanemab before symptomsLong shot 35% slower decline when treated early

    A 2,996-person trial in people with amyloid but no symptoms reaches its completion date in November 2027. Results could follow soon after.

    35%: slower decline in people with low-to-medium tau in the earlier trial.

  4. 3 years

    by late 2029

    Trontinemab phase 3 verdictLikely 91% cleared amyloid, early trial

    Two trials with more than 2,000 people finish in early 2028. They test whether an antibody built to enter the brain more easily works better or more safely.

    91%: fell below the amyloid-positive threshold after 28 weeks in an early trial.

    Lecanemab before symptomsPossible 27% slower decline once symptoms start

    The AHEAD 3-45 trial of 1,400 people with amyloid but no symptoms finishes at the end of 2028.

    27%: slower decline over 18 months in people who already had symptoms.

    A third amyloid antibody approvedPossible

    Remternetug or trontinemab reaches approval, most likely as an injection.

  5. 5 years

    by late 2031

    Treatment before symptomsLong shot

    If the prevention trials succeed, people with a positive blood test and no symptoms are offered treatment.

    A tau drug works in a large trialLong shot

    Tau tangles track symptoms more closely than amyloid. Several tau antibodies are in mid-stage trials.

    Gene silencing for amyloid reportsPossible

    Mivelsiran turns down production of the protein that amyloid comes from. Its trial runs to 2030.

Happened Likely Possible Long shot

The research paths

Heating up

Better amyloid antibodies

27% slower decline, lecanemab
Details and 3 trialsHide

The approved drugs proved the idea. The next ones aim to clear amyloid faster, by injection, with fewer scan findings.

WatchWhether faster clearing brings a bigger benefit, not only convenience.

Building

Treating before symptoms

35% slower decline when treated early
Details and 4 trialsHide

Amyloid builds for years before memory fails. These trials treat people who test positive and feel well, to see if symptoms can be delayed or prevented.

WatchThe donanemab trial reports first and is the largest.

Heating up

Blood tests and earlier detection

4 tests FDA-cleared
DetailsHide

Cleared blood tests replace scans and spinal taps for confirming amyloid. That widens who can be diagnosed and treated.

WatchUse in people without symptoms, which none is cleared for.

Early

Tau drugs

Details and 4 trialsHide

Tau tangles spread as symptoms worsen. Antibodies against tau are in mid-stage trials, alone and combined with amyloid drugs.

WatchThe first combination results with lecanemab.

Mixed

Pills and other approaches

Details and 4 trialsHide

Pills that work differently from antibodies. Semaglutide, the most-watched, did not slow the disease in two large trials. Others are still running.

WatchAR1001 and buntanetap, the two largest still to report.

Maturing

Psychosis and agitation

Details and 3 trialsHide

Hallucinations, delusions and agitation are often what makes care at home impossible. Several drugs are in late trials for them.

WatchKarXT, already approved for schizophrenia, has three trials finishing.

Borrowed from other conditions

From Schizophrenia

KarXT

Phase 3

A schizophrenia drug that acts on muscarinic receptors, tested for psychosis in Alzheimer's and separately for thinking and memory.

From Diabetes and obesity

Semaglutide

Failed in phase 3

Did not slow Alzheimer's in two large trials, despite improving disease markers in blood.

From Diabetes

Metformin

Phase 2/3

The common diabetes pill, tested for preventing dementia in people with early memory problems and no diabetes.

From Gene-silencing medicines

Mivelsiran

Phase 2

RNA interference, the approach used for rare liver-made protein diseases, aimed at the protein amyloid comes from.

From Vitamin B1

Benfotiamine

Phase 2

A form of vitamin B1 that reaches the brain, tested in 406 people with early Alzheimer's.

Open to join now

See every recruiting Alzheimer's trial →

When the large trials finish

Completion dates the trials registered. Results usually follow 3 to 12 months later.

2026202720282029203020312032Today
AR1001 (POLARIS-AD)Pills and other approaches
Jun 2026
E2814 with lecanemabTau drugs
Dec 2026
KarXT for psychosis (ADEPT-2)Psychosis and agitation
Dec 2026
Masupirdine for agitationPsychosis and agitation
Dec 2026
CT1812Pills and other approaches
May 2027
Donanemab (TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 3)Treating before symptoms
Nov 2027
BuntanetapPills and other approaches
Dec 2027
BenfotiaminePills and other approaches
Dec 2027
ACP-204 for psychosisPsychosis and agitation
Jan 2028
Trontinemab (TRONTIER 1)Better amyloid antibodies
Feb 2028
Trontinemab (TRONTIER 2)Better amyloid antibodies
Feb 2028
E2814 in inherited Alzheimer's (DIAN-TU)Tau drugs
Apr 2028
Tau platform trialTau drugs
Aug 2028
Lecanemab (AHEAD 3-45)Treating before symptoms
Dec 2028
Remternetug (TRAILRUNNER-ALZ 3)Better amyloid antibodies
Apr 2029
MK-2214Tau drugs
Apr 2029
Trontinemab (PrevenTRON)Treating before symptoms
Jul 2032
Remternetug in inherited Alzheimer's (DIAN-TU-002)Treating before symptoms
Mar 2034

Knowledge on the way

Not treatments yet: detection, causes and how care is delivered. Mostly NIH-funded.

What just happened

Two more blood tests cleared, four in total

Including Roche's single-marker test and one for adults as young as 40 with symptoms.

Lecanemab at-home injection approved

A weekly autoinjector for starting and continuing treatment.

Semaglutide did not slow Alzheimer's

Two phase 3 trials missed their main goal despite better disease markers.

Donanemab approved in the US

35% slower decline in people with low-to-medium tau, 22% across everyone.

Standard treatment today

How to read this page, and sourcesHow to read this page, and sources

See Alzheimer's trials recruiting now →

Last reviewed 2026-11-12 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.