From euronews with AP, AFP
New drugs against Alzheimer’s are being tested worldwide. According to researchers, the latest studies give reason for hope.
First there are memory lapses, then Alzheimer’s disease progresses. Now a new study shows promising results with a mononuclear antibody. The drug, which John Sims tested for the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, is said to go by the name Donanemab come on the market. Significant successes were seen in 1,700 people with mild Alzheimer’s symptoms in particular. In patients suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease, donanemab brought hardly any improvements. And in some cases, there were serious side effects ranging from brain swelling to a few deaths.
In Japan, a similar anti-Alzheimer’s drug is named Leqembi tested. The US FDA approved Leqembi in early July.
How can the onset of Alzheimer’s be prevented?
dr Catherine Mummery, from the Dementia Research Center in London, is launching tests on people who know they are likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
She explains: “We are in the process of starting a study called Primary Prevention in people with genetic Alzheimer’s disease. They know they have a mutation, but they are about 25 years before the onset of symptoms. The aim is to prevent the onset of the disease by giving them anti-amyloid therapy, and that’s what we’re going to start doing in the next few months, which I’m very excited about.”
The goal of most drugs is currently to delay the onset of the disease. Alzheimer’s has not yet been cured.