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A new Alzheimer’s therapy is approved in China, delivering a surprise for the field but also questions

The surprise approval of a new Alzheimer's therapy in China has been met with caution as well as an eagerness from clinicians and others to see full data.
Residents with dementia at the Cihui Rehabilitation Center for the Aged in Guangzhou, China.

Chinese regulators have granted conditional approval to an Alzheimer’s drug that is derived from seaweed, potentially shaking up the field after years of clinical failures involving experimental therapies from major drug companies.

The announcement over the weekend has been met with caution as well as an eagerness from clinicians and others to see full data from the drug maker, Shanghai Green Valley Pharmaceuticals. The company said its drug, Oligomannate, improved cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s compared to placebo in a Phase 3 trial, with benefits seen in patients as early as week four and persisting throughout the

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