New clinical trial results presented at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) highlight the potential of zervimesine, an experimental oral drug aimed at protecting brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. In the Phase 2 SHINE study, people with mild Alzheimer’s disease took zervimesine or a placebo daily for six months. The main goals of the trial were to assess safety and how well the drug was tolerated. Findings with regard to both were encouraging, with side effects similar to those seen in the placebo group. Although the study was not designed to measure treatment effectiveness, early results were positive: those taking zervimesine showed 129% less cognitive decline on a standard memory and thinking test (ADAS-Cog13) compared to those taking placebo.
Researchers believe this effect may be linked to zervimesine’s way of working, that is aiming to block harmful proteins (amyloid-β and α-synuclein) from damaging the connections between brain cells. Supportive findings also came from the SHIMMER study, another Phase 2 trial in people with mild-to-moderate dementia with Lewy bodies. This study also found zervimesine to be safe and well tolerated. Moreover, participants receiving zervimesine scored better on tests assessing neuropsychiatric symptoms as compared to controls and showed small improvements in attention and executive function, skills that are often impacted early on. While more research is needed to confirm long-term clinical benefits, the results provide early support for zervimesine’s potential as a treatment addressing disease processes in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.