CHICAGO – For the first time, an experimental drug shows promise for halting the progression of Alzheimer's disease by breaking up the protein tangles that clog victims' brains.

The new drug is in testing by a Singapore company. It's being praised for achieving the first positive results in maintaining the mental performance of Alzheimer's patients by using a novel approach.

Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, of the National Institute on Aging, called it “just fantastic.”

Preliminary results of a study of the drug were presented Tuesday at an Alzheimer's conference in Chicago. The drug, called Rember, is being developed by TauRx Therapeutics of Singapore.