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Alzheimer's clinical trials: phases, what the library holds, and where to find one
Clinical trials are how a treatment is tested in people. This page explains the phases, counts what the library holds, and points to the registry where trials are listed.
- 3,061studies in the library match, of 29,380
- 1,006name it in the title
- 1964–2026years published
- 2,977peer-reviewed articles
The query: title or abstract mentions "clinical trial", "phase 1/2/3/4" (or I/II/III/IV), "randomised controlled", "placebo-controlled" or "double-blind", matched case-insensitively against each record's title and abstract (its summary field) in alzhub's library of 29,380 study records, as of 2026-11-08. Every count on this page comes from that match. The matched list as JSON.
A phase 1 trial gives a treatment to a small group, usually healthy volunteers or a few patients, to check safety and dose. A phase 2 trial gives it to a larger group of patients to look for an effect and refine the dose. A phase 3 trial compares it with a placebo or standard care in a large group, usually randomised and double-blind, and is the evidence regulators use for approval. Phase 4 studies follow a treatment after approval.
Randomised means chance decides who gets the treatment; placebo-controlled means the comparison group gets an inactive look-alike; double-blind means neither participants nor the staff assessing them know who got which. Those three features are what make a trial's result trustworthy.
alzhub does not run trials and does not list trial sites. The public registry at ClinicalTrials.gov lists every registered trial with its locations, status and contacts; use it, or ask the clinic that made the diagnosis.
This page describes what published research in alzhub's library reports. It is not medical advice and does not apply to any one person: a doctor who knows the person's history is the only one who can say what a result or a treatment means for them.
What the studies report, in their own words
Whole sentences copied from the abstract or key findings of the highest-scoring matched studies, chosen because they mention the subject and give a figure. 8 of the 3,061 matched records are quoted; each links to its study page and from there to the paper.
“TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03444870, NCT03443973; Japan Registry for Clinical Trials ID: jRCT2080224569.”
“Introduction The phase 3, open-label TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 4 study compared the effect of donanemab versus aducanumab on amyloid plaque (AP) clearance in participants with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease.”
“Here, we report the results of TANGO ( NCT03352557 ), a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group and multiple-dose long-term trial of gosuranemab-a monoclonal antibody to N-terminal tau-in patients with early Alzheimer's disease.”
“INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY PORTAL IDENTIFIER: ISRCTN15483452 HIGHLIGHTS: We found focal areas of increased microglial signal and increased blood-brain barrier permeability in patients with small vessel disease.”
“Main results We included six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 2929 participants comparing processed EEG or EP indices-guided anaesthesia with clinical signs-guided anaesthesia.”
“Results Thirty-three randomized controlled trials with a total of 21,087 patients were included in the current NMA, involving eight different mAbs.”
“Thirty-three randomized controlled trials were identified evaluating 15,971 participants (9,103 (57%) female).”
“Results Across 3030 total participants (placebo-controlled trials: 999 placebo participants, 984 donanemab participants; open-label addendum: 1047 donanemab participants), mean (SD) age was approximately 73.7 (6.0) years and 1684 participants (55.6%) were female.”
What kind of evidence it is
By study design
| Design (as recorded) | Studies |
|---|---|
| Systematic review or meta-analysis | 221 |
| Randomised controlled trial | 393 |
| Other clinical trial | 287 |
| Cohort or longitudinal study | 226 |
| Case-control study | 12 |
| Cross-sectional study | 68 |
| Other recorded design | 40 |
| No design recorded | 1,814 |
The design is the one named in alzhub's record for the study; a record with none is counted as "no design recorded".
By year
| Year | Studies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 169 | |
| 2025 | 389 | |
| 2024 | 186 | |
| 2023 | 202 | |
| 2022 | 183 | |
| 2021 | 170 | |
| 2020 | 171 | |
| 2019 | 156 | |
| 2018 | 146 | |
| 2017 | 134 | |
| 2016 and earlier | 1,155 |
Other counts within the matched set
| Peer-reviewed articles | 2,977 |
| Marked open access in the record | 1,081 |
| Rated "high" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 1,525 |
| Rated "moderate" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 298 |
| Rated "low" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 1,179 |
| No evidence-strength rating | 59 |
| Records stating a participant count | 1,382 |
| Median participants (those records) | 186 |
| Largest participant count | 3,462,926 |
Within the 3,061 matched studies
| Studies… | Count | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| …that mention a phase 1 trial | 113 | the abstract contains "phase 1" (or the Roman numeral) |
| …that mention a phase 2 trial | 234 | the abstract contains "phase 2" (or the Roman numeral) |
| …that mention a phase 3 trial | 234 | the abstract contains "phase 3" (or the Roman numeral) |
| …that mention a phase 4 trial | 8 | the abstract contains "phase 4" (or the Roman numeral) |
| …that mention a placebo | 726 | the abstract also contains "placebo" |
| …that mention a failed, negative or futile result | 192 | the abstract also contains "failed", "negative trial/result", "futility" or "did not meet/reach/slow" |
| …that mention recruitment or enrolment | 453 | the abstract also contains "recruit" or "enrol" |
| …that mention under-representation or diversity of participants | 111 | the abstract also contains "under-represented", "diversity" or "diverse" |
Where to look beyond this site
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Alzheimer disease →The US registry of trials, with locations, status and contacts. alzhub does not list sites.
The 10 highest-scoring matched studies
Title matches first, then by alzhub's usefulness score, which rates a study's design, journal, evidence and recency, not whether its result is good news.
- An online multidomain lifestyle intervention to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk older adults: a randomized controlled trial
- Safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and efficacy of ABvac40 active immunotherapy against Aβ40 in patients with mild cognitive impairment or very mild Alzheimer's disease: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 study
- TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 4: A phase 3 trial comparing donanemab with aducanumab on amyloid plaque clearance in early, symptomatic Alzheimer's disease
- TANGO: a placebo-controlled randomized phase 2 study of efficacy and safety of the anti-tau monoclonal antibody gosuranemab in early Alzheimer's disease
- MINocyclinE to Reduce inflammation and blood-brain barrier leakage in small Vessel diseAse (MINERVA): A phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experimental medicine trial
- Safety and efficacy of crenezumab in cognitively unimpaired carriers of the PSEN1Glu280Ala mutation at risk for autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease in Colombia (API ADAD Colombia Trial): a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Study of mirtazapine for agitated behaviours in dementia (SYMBAD): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Randomized, double-blind study of zervimesine in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease
- The AUstralian multidomain Approach to Reduce dementia Risk by prOtecting brain health With lifestyle intervention study (AU-ARROW): A study protocol for a single-blind, multi-site, randomized controlled trial
- Two phase 3 trials of bapineuzumab in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the set
221 of the matched records are recorded as a systematic review, meta-analysis or umbrella review; the highest-scoring not already listed above:
- Association of Blood Pressure Lowering With Incident Dementia or Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Effects of monoclonal antibodies against amyloid-β on clinical and biomarker outcomes and adverse event risks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of phase III RCTs in Alzheimer's disease
- Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Monoclonal Antibodies for Cognitive Decline in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
- Computerized cognitive training for memory functions in mild cognitive impairment or dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- WMH and long-term outcomes in ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Newest matched studies
- Large-scale head-to-head comparison of on- and off-target profiles of [18F]Tauvid and [18F]MK6240 tau-PET in aging and Alzheimer’s disease
- The metabolic-brain axis: GLP-1 signaling, insulin resistance, and obesity pharmacotherapy in neurodegeneration
- Evaluating a primary care pharmacist-led intervention to reduce opioid use for persistent non-cancer pain: the PROMPPT cluster randomised controlled trial protocol
- A Binding Site for CVN293 Reveals a Mechanism for Allosteric Control of THIK-1 K2P Channel Gating
- Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain is Markedly Elevated in General Hospital Inpatients with Delirium
Journals with the most matched studies
| Journal | Studies |
|---|---|
| Neurology | 148 |
| Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD | 113 |
| Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association | 102 |
| Alzheimer's research & therapy | 83 |
| JAMA | 55 |
Questions
- What do trial phases mean?
- Phase 1 checks safety and dose in a small group; phase 2 looks for an effect in a larger group of patients; phase 3 compares the treatment with placebo or standard care in a large randomised group and is the basis for approval; phase 4 follows a treatment after approval.
- How do I find a trial near me?
- Search ClinicalTrials.gov, the public registry, by condition and location, or ask the clinic that made the diagnosis. alzhub holds a searchable copy of registered trials but does not recruit for them and does not list sites of its own.
- What does placebo-controlled mean?
- The comparison group receives an inactive treatment that looks the same, so any difference between groups can be attributed to the treatment rather than to expectation or to being in a study.
- How many studies on alzheimer's clinical trials does alzhub hold?
- 3,061 of the 29,380 study records in alzhub's library match the query "title or abstract mentions "clinical trial", "phase 1/2/3/4" (or I/II/III/IV), "randomised controlled", "placebo-controlled" or "double-blind""; 1,006 of them name it in the title. Counted from the records when this page was built.
- What kinds of study are they?
- 221 systematic review or meta-analysis, 393 randomised controlled trials, 287 other clinical trials, 226 cohort or longitudinal studys, 12 case-control studys, 68 cross-sectional studys; 1,814 record no design.
- What is the most recent study in the set?
- "Large-scale head-to-head comparison of on- and off-target profiles of [18F]Tauvid and [18F]MK6240 tau-PET in aging and Alzheimer’s disease" (Research Square, 2026), the newest by publication date among the matched records.
- Which journals publish most on it?
- Neurology (148); Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (113); Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (102), counted across the matched records.
Read on
- Registered clinical trialsA searchable copy of registered Alzheimer's trials, by phase and status.
- Randomised controlled trials in the libraryEvery RCT, ranked.
- Other clinical trials in the libraryOpen-label and early-phase trials.
- TreatmentsApproved drugs, drugs in trials, and drugs that failed.