the american lab Eli Lilly announced promising results Wednesday from its experimental Alzheimer’s drug, something experts called “remarkable” despite some patients experiencing serious side effects.
The clinical trial, which included 1,200 participants with early forms of the disease, showed a 35% reduction in cognitive decline in patients treated with donanemabaccording to a company statement.
Eli Lilly plans to apply for approval from the US drug regulatory agency, the FDA, this quarter and around the world “as fast as possible”.
However, treatment can cause serious side effects, such as edema or brain hemorrhage. Three participants in the clinical trial died.
The clinical trial also measured the ability to perform everyday tasks, such as driving, conversing, engaging in hobbies, or managing finances. Over 18 months, participants who received the treatment showed a 40% reduction in their diminished ability to perform these tasks.
These results were enthusiastically received by experts, who signaled a turning point.
“These results confirm that we are entering the era of Alzheimer’s treatment”said Catherine Mummery, of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.
Now it will be possible “to realistically expect to be able to treat and stabilize a person with Alzheimer’s disease, with long-term management, rather than palliative and supportive care”he added.
Research in the fight against disease of Alzheimer’s was stagnant for decades.
But recently two new treatments were approved in the United States, developed by the pharmaceutical Japanese Eisai and American Biogen: Leqembi (whose active ingredient is called lecanemab) and Aduhelm (aducanumab).
The authorization of aducanumab was controversial because some experts pointed out the lack of evidence on its effectiveness, while lecanemab was the first to demonstrate a reduction in cognitive impairment (by 27%) in the context of a clinical trial.
In the disease In Alzheimer’s, two key proteins, tau and amyloid beta, accumulate in plaques that cause brain cell death and lead to brain shrinkage. This causes the memory loss and increasing disability to perform daily tasks.
Like lecanemab, donanemab is an antibody therapy targeting amyloid beta.
The experts said the results from both drugs validated the theory that removing beta amyloid improves the course of diseaseand that future therapies targeting both proteins could have even better results.
Alzheimer’s affects more than 40 million people worldwide.
#Results #Alzheimers #treatment #revealed
Source Link
