Despite decades of starts and stops, new treatments and key genetic discoveries are giving researchers great hope for slowing or eventually preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
In clinical trials, lecanemab slowed disease progression by 27% and reduced the amount of plaque found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Two new dementia drugs are being hailed as breakthroughs. But what might be an incremental breakthrough for researchers, doesn’t mean a cure for patients.
Alzheimer’s may not be primarily a disease of the brain. It may be a disorder of the immune system within the brain. Beta-amyloid may not be an abnormal protein, but part of the brain’s immune system.
FDA approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm) was contentious. Its submission to Health Canada for approval highlights concerns about evidence, independence and transparency in Canada’s drug approval process.
The FDA approved Alzheimer’s disease drug aducanumab despite minimal evidence of its efficacy. Whether this decision ultimately hurts or helps patients depends on data researchers don’t yet have.