Solanezuma is a new drug that promises to treat slow or even halt Alzheimer's if given to patients at an early stage. It is estimated that the drug's sales would be worth more than 3 billion dollars throughout the world provided it gets a thumbs up from regulators.

It is expected that the drug's announcement that will be made at a major US conference, would be a landmark moment in the treatment of the disease.

As per records, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia affect more than 800,000 Britons, and the number is expected to double in a generation as the population ages.

Existing drugs simply address the symptoms, and their failure to deal with the underlying causes means that they quickly wear off, and the disease soon takes its devastating course.

Makers of the drugs stated that solanezumab tackles beta amyloid, the toxic protein that clogs the brain in Alzheimer's, destroying vital connections between cells.

Its maker, US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly so far has remained tight-lipped about the results of trials. However, during a recent conference, its scientists said that the drug effects were consistent with a treatment that changes the underlying pathology of Alzheimer's disease.

Eric Karran, of the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said, "They enable nerve cells to communicate with each other more effectively, but don't stop the underlying disease from getting worse. Eventually, the effect ... wears off as the damage to the brain overwhelms the modest benefit afforded by the drugs".

Results of the trial will be released on Wednesday.