Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the first degenerative disease of the nervous system, but no drugs have been found to reverse AD progression. Starting from 2 major pathogenesis of AD, namely amyloid beta (Aβ) cascade and Tau protein, this study systematically reviews anti-Aβ or Tau protein AD new drugs that have entered clinical research; this study also expounds their clinical trial findings and mechanisms, and analyzes the reasons for their success or failure to provide a theoretical basis for AD drug exploitation.