Experts hail first drug to slow down onset of Alzheimer’s disease
Experts have hailed clinical trial results for what they say is the first drug to provide a real treatment option for people with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia.
Millions of people suffer from Alzheimer’s, which sees proteins build up and form abnormal structures in the brain, killing nerve cells and brain tissue progressively.
Researchers have been developing a promising drug called lecanemab, and the results of its phase 3 trial show the drug reduces the amount of protein buildup in the brain, which could effectively slow down the onset of dementia.
While many experts expressed excitement about the results, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, there have been media reports of two deaths among patients enrolled in the Iecanemab trial.
The study authors wrote that the drug is “associated with adverse events,” and that longer trials are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of lecanemab.
Alzheimer’s experts welcomed the results of the study, with one saying “I truly believe it represents the beginning of the end”.
“The amyloid theory has been around for 30 years so this has been a long time coming,” said Professor John Hardy, from the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI) at University College London.
This hypothesis - that a buildup of the protein amyloid in the brain may initiate and speed up the progression of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms - was tested and confirmed in the study.
“It’s fantastic to receive this confirmation that we’ve been on the right track all along, as these results convincingly demonstrate, for the first time, the link between removing amyloid and slowing the progress of Alzheimer’s disease,” added Hardy.
He said now scientists “know exactly what we need
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