Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) comprise several progressive and incurable neurodegenerative disorders that some have classified as amyloidosis. With increased aging of the world's population, the prevalence of the sporadic form of ADRD, which comprises over 99% of cases, continues to rise at an alarming rate. The enormous societal burdens of ADRD already rival those of the many other major chronic diseases causing premature morbidity and mortality in the USA and worldwide such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. At present, there is an insufficient totality of evidence concerning the efficacy and safety of any pharmacologic agents to delay slow progression or reduce complications of ADRD. In this context, glutaminyl cyclase (QC) inhibitors have shown some early possible evidence of efficacy with a reassuring safety profile. To reliably test the glutaminyl cyclase (QC) and any other promising hypotheses will require cogent data from large-scale randomized trials of sufficient size and duration.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; glutaminyl cyclase inhibitors; neurotherapeutics; pharmacologic therapies; randomized trials.