Four reasons to question “new generation” monoclonal antibody Alzheimer’s drugs such as aducanumab (Aduhelm), lecanemab (Leqembi), donanemab

New Alzheimer’s Drugs Don’t Deserve the Hype (Being Patient): A prominent childhood memory is of my grandparents living with and then dying from dementia. As is universal with dementia, there was a double blow: watching my grandparents lose their identity and seeing the suffering of those closest to them. … Enter three drugs, tentatively FDA-approved aducanumab (Aduhelm); fully FDA-approved lecanemab (Leqembi); and donanemab … currently in clinical trials and soon to be considered for FDA approval) that remove amyloid, the protein thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease… But how useful are these drugs going to be? Tiny benefits: In the donanemab trial, the people taking the drug declined on average by ten points on a 144-point cognitive scale … The placebo group declined by 13 points. Side effects: Through regular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, one in six people taking lecanemab was found to have evidence of brain bleeding, and one in eight had brain swelling … there have also been a few deaths attributed to these drugs. High prices: Aducanumab was marketed in the U.S. for $45,000 USD (£35,000) per patient per year (later reduced to $20,000 USD to increase demand), and Leqembi for $26,500 USD … There are other impositions for patients: attending centers every two to four weeks for drug infusions and regular monitoring and worrying about side-effects. Highly selective trials: It is accepted that not all trial “efficacy” … will convert into ...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Brain/ Mental Health aducanumab Aduhelm Alzheimer's drugs brain bleeding brain swelling dementia donanemab hype lecanemab Leqembi monoclonal antibody Alzheimer's drugs MRI-scans Source Type: blogs