New Alzheimer's drug could hit market soon

A Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company is seeking authorization to market an innovative drug that treats mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Called GV-971, the drug has completed clinical trials and is the first multi-targeting, carbohydrate-based drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's, according to a news release on Tuesday from Green Valley, one of the drug's co-developers.

As Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptides - a short chain of amino acids - current research on possible cures mostly concentrate on developing antibodies that target sites for the peptides.