China: Authorities approve seaweed-based drug for Alzheimer's disease

The Chinese authorities have approved a drug extracted from seaweed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease on November 4. A drug named Oligomannate is also the first new medicine with the potential to treat the cognitive disorder in the last 17 years. According to the National Medical Products Administration, the new drug has been given a green signal for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and for improving the cognitive function in the body. The approval, however, is reportedly conditional, which means Oligomannate can go on sale during the additional clinical trials. 

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Why seaweed?

It was in the month of September when the research team at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Geng Meiyu revealed that they were curious to look into seaweed when they discovered low incidence of Alzheimer's especially among the people who consume seaweed regularly. Furthermore, according to the research paper published by the team, it was described that the presence of sugar in seaweed suppresses the bacteria contained in the abdomen which can be the potential cause of neural degeneration and inflammation of the brain which leads to Alzheimer's. The entire mechanism was confirmed by a Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company which will bring the drug in markets for the clinical trial. 

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Advanced understanding of treatment

As per reports, a neurologist who advises the Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company said that the results obtained by the drug have advanced the understanding of treatment as well as Alzheimer's as a disease. It also implies that the gut microbiome is an essential target for the development of medicines. Other neurologists also said that the drug has shown encouraging results but Vincent Monk told an international media outlet, that the medicine has 'fewer side effects' while opening up new avenues for the research on the disease. 

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(With inputs from agencies)