Alzheimer's Drug Donanemab Shows Promise in Slowing Progression

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 19 July 2023, 01:07 pm

A new medicine called Donanemab seems to be a possible game-changer in the battle against Alzheimer's disease, offering a glimpse of hope. The drug, developed by Eli Lilly, may stop cognitive and functional decline in early-stage Alzheimer's patients.

Alzheimer's is a deadly brain disease that steadily deteriorates memory, cognition, and daily function. The most frequent kind of dementia in elderly persons begins around the middle of their 60s.

The 1,736 patients in the randomized clinical study had amyloid and tau pathology and early-stage Alzheimer's disease symptoms, per India Today. According to the findings, the disease progression in the Donanemab group was significantly slowed at 76 weeks compared to the placebo group.

The treatment's benefits improved with time, peaking at 18 months. Nearly half of the individuals who got Donanemab showed no clinical advancement after a year, and there was a startling 60% reduction in deterioration in those at the earliest stage of the illness compared to the placebo group.

The Alzheimer's Association's chief scientific officer, Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., stressed that eliminating beta-amyloid from the brain was associated with a significant slowdown of the disease's development in those with early Alzheimer's, as per a News Medical report. She emphasized the possibility of slowing the illness even in its later stages.

Carillo also lauded the advantages of early therapy in maintaining people's everyday lives, independence, and control over their future medical care.

Serious Side Effects

Like other revolutionary Alzheimer's drugs, donanemab is a monoclonal antibody that targets amyloid, a damaging brain protein. The medication has certain dangers, including the possibility of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which may cause severe brain hemorrhage and convulsions.

Eli Lilly's phase III study found that 25% of subjects developed ARIA, and the condition led to the deaths of three, according to Nature. ARIA was more likely among people with the APOE4 genetic variant, which increases Alzheimer's risk. The drug company ensured its dedication to properly monitoring and managing these risks and wants to increase patient access to therapy.

Eli Lilly has filed Donanemab for conventional FDA clearance in light of the promising trial outcomes, and a decision is anticipated before the end of the year. The Alzheimer's Association is a significant proponent of conventional FDA approval and believes that after approval, people who benefit from the medication will have full and prompt insurance coverage.

Enough Representation in Alzheimer's Drug Trials Urged

The Alzheimer's Association expresses its concern regarding underrepresenting all impacted populations in Alzheimer's research trials, even though the progress is encouraging. To guarantee that therapies are beneficial to everyone, particularly underrepresented people like Black and Hispanic Americans, who disproportionately have dementia, the group calls for appropriate representation.

As the fight against Alzheimer's goes on, Donanemab's promise points to a possible development that might alter people's lives and open up new opportunities for individuals afflicted by this fatal illness.