Annual Alzheimer's clinical trials pipeline report shows increased reason for optimism

An annual review of clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease highlights a growing number of active trials – and drugs – in the development pipeline and offers optimism for the global effort to find a cure.

The annual Alzheimer’s disease drug development pipeline report is led by Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, a renowned Alzheimer’s clinician-scientist. The report reviews the status and associated trends related to all 182 active clinical trials and assesses 138 drugs currently being studied.

“There is good reason for optimism” said Dr. Cummings, a research professor with the department of brain health within the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. “This year’s report reveals a number of very encouraging developments in Alzheimer’s research, including significantly more phase 1 clinical trials and several additional drugs that have shown enough promise to warrant further study.”   

Worldwide, more than 57 million people suffer from dementia. In the U.S., Alzheimer’s kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

Cummings’ 2025 annual report is featured in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, a journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. All stages of the Alzheimer continuum are being studied, from those showing no symptoms, to those with mild cognitive impairment and moderate and severe Alzheimer's disease.

Among the report’s highlights:

• 182 clinical trials are underway at 2,227 sites throughout North America and 2,302 in the rest of the world. This includes a notable increase in phase 1 trials – 48 compared to 27 the previous year – and indicates growing enthusiasm for potential therapies.
• 56 new trials entered the pipeline across all phases since the beginning of 2024, including 10 new Phase 3 trials. Additionally, 12 phase 3 trials will conclude in 2025, including one studying the effectiveness of semaglutide – which has shown promise preventing Alzheimer’s.
• Among active trials, disease-targeted therapies continue to dominate, comprising 74% of drugs in the pipeline; amyloid targets account for 18% of the pipeline, similar to 2024.
• More than 50,000 participants are involved in the trials, and authors suggest that increasing the number of trials per clinical site might enhance recruitment and improve operational efficiency.

According to Cummings, the urgency to find a cure for Alzheimer’s is reflected in the number of repurposed drugs (46) in the pipeline. He says that repurposed drugs can be brought to market faster as they’ve been deemed safe for other uses. He also noted the increasingly important role of biomarkers as a tool for eligibility and evaluation of clinical trials.

“Seeing the broad range of scientific research that’s taking place, I am extremely hopeful that we are closer than ever to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s,” said Cummings. “It’s not just the increased amount of clinical trials, but the targeted therapies being studied – there’s great reason for optimism.”

The 2025 report was released on June 3, 2025 and is published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions. In addition to Cummings, report co-authors include Garam Lee, Kate Zhong, Jorge Fonseca, and Amanda M. Leisgang-Osse from UNLV; Yadi Zhou with the Cleveland Clinic; and Feixiong Cheng with the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University.