Scientists tie third clinical trial death to experimental Alzheimer ’s drug

As enthusiasm mounts for a new experimental antibody that appears to slow cognitive decline in some Alzheimer’s patients, a third death linked to the drug during its clinical testing may amplify concerns about its safety. Science has obtained medical records showing a 79-year-old Florida woman participating in an ongoing trial of the antibody died in mid-September after experiencing extensive brain swelling and bleeding, as well as seizures. Multiple neuroscientists who reviewed the records at Science ’s request believe her death was likely caused by the antibody, lecanemab. “The brain swelling and the microhemorrhages … could be a serious side effect of the study medication,” and should be evaluated by trial investigators, says Ellis van Etten, a neuroscientist and neurologist at Leiden University. The clinical trial’s sponsor, Japanese biotech Eisai Co., did not divulge the fatality at a major Alzheimer’s meeting last month where it detailed data from lecanemab’s phase 3 trial. The death came in an extension of that trial, but some scientists say it should have still been noted at the conference. “The failure of Eisai and [lecanemab codeveloper] Biogen to disclose this case … is concerning and undermines my confidence that the reported safety data is complete,” says Vanderbilt University neurologist and neuroscientist Matthew Schrag, who also reviewed the woman’s records. The newly revealed death comes on top on...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news