Scientists present an experimental drug that slows the rate of deterioration of memory and thinking in people at the initial stage of the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers are calling the innovation a “historic moment” in the fight against dementia. The companies Eisai and Biogen took part in the creation of the drug. It showed a 27% reduction in cognitive impairment in people with Alzheimer’s over 18 months of testing. The Guardian.
This is not such an effective indicator of the change in clinical results, it can be called moderate, but for the first time the drug clearly changes the course of the disease. Susan Kohlhaas, Director of Alzheimer’s Research UK, says:
“This is a historic moment for dementia research as this is the first phase III trial of an Alzheimer’s drug in a generation to successfully slow cognitive decline.”
Patients with an early form of the disease, a total of 1800 participants, received the drug Lecanemab twice a week. The results showed that it successfully reduced toxic plaques in the brain and slowed down memory deterioration with patients’ ability to perform everyday tasks.
Approximately one in five patients experienced side effects of the drug, even visible on PET scans, cerebral bleeding and cerebral edema. Of these, 3% experienced symptomatic side effects.
The results of the study support the hypothesis that the sticky plaques seen in the brains of dementia patients play an important role in brain cell damage and cognitive decline.
The trial participants will now be monitored for 18 months. It is important to determine whether patients taking the drug will maintain a better clinical trajectory of the disease – this will determine the final conclusion about the effectiveness of the new drug.
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