World News for Students of English

10-11-2020 07:00

A US company tested a new drug that could slow Alzheimer’s disease. The drug would not stop the disease, but it would slow its symptoms.

On Wednesday, the company said that there was strong information that the drug was effective. But some people did not believe it, because one of two tests of the drug failed in the past. If authorities approve the drug for use in the US, it will be a new Alzheimer’s drug in decades.

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease, which means that it affects the brain and the nerves. It usually affects people who are 65 years old and more. The disease leads to problems with memory, planning or solving problems, and difficulty doing usual tasks. In the US, there are about 5.7 million people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Difficult words: symptoms (the things that happen from a problem), effective (something that works the way somebody wants), nerves (body parts that tell your body how you feel and that help the organs work together), difficulty (troubles).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.