Havana, May 17 (RHC-PL)-- Cuba has created a medicine that seeks to delay the progress of Alzheimer's, according to health officials in Havana.  Researchers announced that the drug, called NeuroEpo, will undergo clinical trials for the first time in humans.

The specialists seek to delay the progress of Alzheimer's and in this way improve the quality of life of people suffering from this degenerative disease through a more effective treatment with NeuroEpo, a 100% Cuban product developed by the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM).

The drug has been shown to have a neuro-protective effect during experimental phases.  This would be the first time it will been tested in humans, so the exact results in each of the patients is not known, noted Leslie Perez, a CIM researcher.

Alzheimer's is a neuro-degenerative disease that has no cure, so the specialist emphasized that the goal of treatment "is to help delay that degenerative process and improve the quality of life of that person, and the family." 

According to the prevalence rates of researchers in Cuba, there are approximately 160,000 people suffering from the disease and it is estimated that by 2040 these will increase 2.3 times reaching 2.7% of the total population of the island.