A Singaporean company TauRx Pharmaceuticals has developed a new oral drug for Alzheimer's disease with positive results in phase III clinical trials, which can reduce cognitive decline and brain atrophy in patients.

Be a cusotmer to SCI Pharmtech based in Taiwan, TauRx is expected to apply for a drug license next year, and its plants will also be inspected and certified at the same time.

According to the Phase III clinical trial of the new oral drug for Alzheimer's disease announced by Singapore-based pharmaceutical company TauRx Pharmaceuticals, early stage patients treated with the drug showed sustained improvements in cognitive ability and brain atrophy; mild to moderate patients treated with the drug showed more stable cognitive function and reduced brain atrophy compared to previous non-drug users.

With positive clinical trial results, the company has recently raised US$119 million and will be filing drug certification applications with authorities in the US, Canada and the UK, and will present its findings at the San Francisco Clinical Trial of Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) meeting at the end of this month.

The new Alzheimer's drug developed by the Singapore pharmaceutical company is expected to be licensed and marketed in 2024, and will be produced at SCI Pharmtech's new plant in Guanyin, leading to a significant jump in revenue to SCI Pharmtech.

Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease of the brain, a form of dementia, which is irreversible and does not cause immediate death, but mostly due to other complications. According to statistics, there are approximately 35 million Alzheimer's patients worldwide, of which more than 6 million are in the United States and 13 million in 2050, representing a US$300 billion opportunity for medication.

In fact, the introduction of a new drug for Alzheimer's disease in the US dates back to 2003, when two drugs were approved with annual revenues of around US$1.5 billion, but the new drug could only reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, not the disease.