Short takeaways from the 2026 AAIC.

The 2026 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC 2026) took place in London, July 12-15 and gathered 13,000 attendees from 111 countries. 7,900 abstracts and presentations were disclosed.

New treatments

There was little novel information on new anti-amyloid efficacy data and more about defining next steps for Alzheimer's disease treatment. Speakers accepted that brain amyloid removal has some value but have progressively shifted their focus on tau biology, biomarker validation and refinement and combination therapy strategies.

Roche’s Phase 1b/2a trontinemab, a brain shuttle amyloid beta antibody, showed rapid brain amyloid clearance with slightly higher-than-expected micro-haemorrhagic episodes. Phase III prevenTRON enrolment is expected to begin by year end.

Targeting tau tangles has now generated new interest again. Biogen BIIB080, or diranersen, a tau antisense oligonucleotide (tau ASO), administered via intraspinal injection, which generated mixed results is nevertheless moving into Phase 3. Clearly a spinal injection “is not going to be sustainable for widespread usage".

Discussion upon experts suggested that tau ASOs with reduced production at source, have mechanistic advantages over tau antibodies. Eisai’s etalanetug (E2814), a humanized high-affinity IgG1 antibody which targets tau protein, that crosses the blood-brain barrier and works on extracellular microtubule-binding region of tau has attracted considerable attention. Etalanetug is currently evaluated in combination with lecanemab in the DIAN-TU trial.

Posdinemab, an anti-tau antibody from Johnson & Johnson failed to slow cognitive decline or tau spread in an early phase 2 clinical trial and was discontinued.

The new scientific consensus is finally moving towards a multi-targeted treatment, in particular to address disease progression that persists despite effective plaque clearance.

There were no major disclosures on drugs targeting mechanisms unrelated to amyloid or tau

Blood tests

Clinicians agree that although blood test perform well, they still need to be assessed in real world settings to prove their reliability. Should they be prescribed to subjects with no cognitive symptoms? The answer is clearly no, because they may get misused and generate false positives.  A recently FDA approved test was shown to be far less accurate than previously advertised. According to Dr. Nathaniel Chin from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, "the best way to monitor brain health is to measure blood pressure three times a week and keep around 120 over 80"

Late-stage agitation.

A remarkable phase 2 result was reported in a study called LIBBY, a US national study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the NIH. The product, a fixed combination of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)  and cannabidiol (CBD), was evaluated in 120 people with dementia and agitation in hospital care settings. More than 80% of treated patients improved within two weeks versus 30% on placebo with a benefit which held at 12 weeks.  A phase 3 with no announced date is being planned.

La Baule, July 20, 2026

^{This document has been prepared by Jean-Claude Muller and is provided for information purposes only. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but is not warranted to be accurate or complete. The views presented are those of the author at the time of writing and are subject to change. Jean-Claude Muller has no obligation to update these opinions or the information presented.}