ALZHEIMERS patients in the West of Scotland are among the first in the world to get an experimental drug.

A major intern ational study has found the drug, Tarenflurbil, helps to put the brakes on the disease which progressively causes dementia.

And patients treated at Inverclyde Royal Hospital are among those gaining "impressive" benefits in the major trial.

Dr Alan Hughes, who led the Greenock leg of the study, hopes further research could lead to a new range of better treatments for the condition.

Dr Hughes, a consultant psychiatrist for senior citizens, said: "The main test was the patient's ability to stay independent - things like getting dressed, being able to handle money and other normal things most people take for granted. The difference in the patients who were treated was clear."

The trial involved giving groups of patients either the real drug or an inactive placebo for up to two years, without telling the doctor or patient which.

Alzheimers disease occurs when a starch-like substance called amyloid builds up within the brain to form plaques, much like the plaque that forms on teeth.

As the plaques grow, they break the connections between brain cells, destroying memory and making rational thinking more difficult. This makes it the leading cause of dementia which affects up to 65,000 Scots - a figure expected to rise to 114,000 by 2031.

The new drug reduces the amount of amyloid in the brain, helping to prevent the plaque build-up and so reducing damage.

And the result is that patients remain more able to think clearly and remember than those who were not treated.

Results from the study, published in the journal Lancet Neurology, show the drug reduced the impact on patients' daily lives by 46%.

It slowed damage to the patients' ability to concentrate and remember by more than a third. But it only worked in patients who were diagnosed early and still had a very mild form of the illness.

Dr Hughes said: "We have relatively few treatments for Alzheimers and they are not as good as we would like. This drug appears to be at least as good as them, if not better."

Alzheimer Scotland gave the study a cautious welcome. Chief executive Jim Jackson said: "The focus on anti-amyloid intervention explores new avenues of research into potential treatments for Alzheimer's Disease.

"However, potential' is the key word; Phase III must be completed before the true effectiveness can be assessed."

The charity runs a free 24-hour dementia helpline on 0808 808 3000.