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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of cognitive disorder. It has an insidious onset and is difficult to diagnose in its early stages. The main clinical manifestations include cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and a decline in social functioning and daily living abilities, placing a heavy burden on patients, their families, and society. Mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD-related MCI) represents an early stage in the continuum of AD progression. According to a 2020 epidemiological survey, China has approximately 38.77 million individuals aged 60 and above with MCI and about 15.07 million people with dementia, among whom around 9.83 million are AD patients.

Traditional treatments for AD include cholinesterase inhibitors, which improve neuronal communication by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine. Representative drugs include donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and huperzine A. In addition, NMDA receptor antagonists help regulate glutamate activity to reduce excitotoxicity and slow cognitive decline; memantine is a commonly used example.

More recently, disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) targeting core pathological proteins of AD, such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau, have shown efficacy in slowing disease progression. Anti-Aβ monoclonal antibodies, such as lecanemab and donanemab, can target amyloid plaque deposition and delay cognitive deterioration. In China, GV-971 (Sodium Oligomannate), developed domestically, works by modulating the gut-brain axis and inhibiting neuroinflammation, and is approved for the treatment of mild to moderate AD.

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