While the study was small, as only 165 people with mild symptoms took part, trial results of a new Alzheimer’s drug indicate it might benefit early-stage patients.

Designed to assess the safety of the anti-body aducanumab and not whether patients fared better taking it, data reveals it appeared to slow the mental decline of those who responded by removing clumps of the protein that build up in the brain of someone with the disease.

Accumulation of amyloid-beta in the aging brain results in memory and cognitive impairments.

But some patients experienced side effects that’ll have to be overcome before the drug can be used more widely.

Despite welcoming the encouraging results, experts who on the one hand say it ”could be a gamechanger” also caution it’s too soon to know if it’ll be of any help.

The results of the trial are reported in the journal ‘Nature’.