Alzheimer’s Drug
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January 19, 2023New Data Shows Alzheimer’s Drug Can Slow Cognitive Decline
A phase III clinical trial that published results earlier this week in the New England Journal of Medicine shows promising data that Alzheimer’s drug, Lecanemab by Eisai and Biogen Inc, can slow cognitive decline.
“Lecanemab reduced markers of amyloid in early Alzheimer’s disease and resulted in less decline than placebo on all measures of cognition and function at 18 months,” said Dr. Christopher Van Dyck, director of the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, during his presentation of trial efficacy results at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease meeting, held in San Francisco.
The research followed 1,800 patients over an 18-month period. Alzheimer’s leads to the build-up of two proteins in the brain, amyloid-beta and tau, which form plaques that can disrupt cell function. This is what causes symptoms such as memory loss and confusion. Lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody that helps remove the amyloid-beta clumps. The trial is not without adverse side effects, which include brain swelling and brain bleeding.
The Alzheimer’s Association said it was encouraged by the news and is seeking accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For more information see Mary Kekatos, Sony Salzman and Faith Crittenden “New data shows Alzheimer’s drug can slow cognitive decline”, Yahoo! News, November 29, 2022.
