Grifols has developed AMBAR, a plasmapheresis technique that infuses patients with human albumin and intravenous immunoglobin (IVIG) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The company’s hypothesis was that amyloid beta, the main driver of Alzheimer’s disease, binds to albumin in the brain, which can then be removed from the body.

The company’s results have confirmed that that this approach is valid, although it does not constitute a cure. In a Phase 2b/3 trial, Grifols reports that treated patients with moderate Alzheimer’s experienced a 61% reduction in disease progression and a 71% reduction of symptoms, with positive results reported for both moderate and mild Alzheimer’s.

In May 2021, Grifols announced that the first center to offer the AMBAR procedure would open in Barcelona, Spain. Further centers in the EU, USA and China are planned.