With an ageing global population, the number of people with dementia, and its main cause Alzheimer's disease (AD), is growing. current licensed treatments available for ad are only alleviate the symptoms of the disease, and are effective only in some people with ad for a limited time. there are currently no therapies that target the disease process. Areas covered: This review summarizes the available treatments for AD and the emerging therapies in the clinical trials pipeline. There are ongoing trials at various stages of development, targeting different mechanisms and pathways implicated in the disease. This review focuses on amyloid and tau targeting drug candidates. Expert commentary: Despite research efforts targeted at understanding AD, the underlying mechanisms and optimal treatment targets have not been fully elucidated. There is a significant need for further research targeting the disease at an earlier stage and progress in biomarker and imaging technology are improving the outlook. It is critical to continue research into identifying the underlying pathology and disease process in Alzheimer's disease to enable development of effective targeted treatments.