New Drug Successfully Slows Down Mental Decline Among Alzheimer's Patients
A new era for therapies that treat Alzheimer's disease is here. According to a clinical trial, a new treatment is able to slow down cognitive decline in patients that have early stages of Alzheimer's - a disease that affects 30 million people worldwide.
Positive results from the drug called "lecanemab" could inspire effective treatments. The drug, meanwhile, is an antibody therapy that is able to remove clumps of protein called beta amyloid that builds up in the brain.
A viable treatment for Alzheimer's
The drug targets two hallmark proteins that are associated with Alzheimer's disease - beta amyloid and tau. The latter accumulates in the brain's memory centre as people get old. Rising levels of amyloid in Alzheimer's patients cause tau to spread alarmingly - causing the death of brain cells.
It's still not clear what the clumps do for Alzheimer's, but scientists have noted that these clumps of protein cause damage to brain cells.
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Developed by US-based Biogen and Japan's Eisai, lecanemab was used in human trials that had 1,800 participants in September. Data from the trials was published on Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.?The drug was able to reduce the decline in patients' overall mental skills by 27% in 18 months.
Alzheimer's disease accounts for two-thirds of 55 million people that live with dementia globally. Such treatments could improve the quality of life for people with the disease.
As of now, lecanemab remains expensive - costing Rs. 1,00,000-30,00,000 per year for a patient. Its benefits are modest but mark a significant development in treating Alzheimer's.
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By January, US Food and Drug Administration would make a decision on whether to give accelerated approval to the drug. Till now, two deaths have been reported in patients who took lecanemab in conjunction with medicine to prevent blood clots.
What do you think about this significant development in treating Alzheimer's disease? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.?
References
Steenhuysen, J. (2022, November 29). Rare success for Alzheimer¡¯s research unlocks hope for future therapies. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/rare-success-alzheimers-research-unlocks-hope-future-therapies-2022-11-29/
Sample, I. (2022, November 30). Drug slows cognitive decline in Alzheimer¡¯s patients, study reveals. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/30/drug-slows-cognitive-decline-in-alzheimers-patients-study-reveals
