A promising new drug against Alzheimer’s disease, Lecanemab, divides the scientific community. The remedy, which slows cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease was unveiled on Wednesday, November 30 with the latest results from their respective tests.
If the results are positive, some specialists warn about the possibility of serious side effects according to the Gizmodo report.
The trials of the experimental drug were heralded as a “historic moment for dementia research”, but with a major “but”: the death of some research participants.
What is lecanemab? : A monoclonal antibody that works by actively eliminating beta-amyloid, which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease..
What happened during the trial?
In an 18-month trial of nearly 1,800 people with early-onset Alzheimer’s, they found that the drug slowed cognitive and functional decline by 27%.
Susan Kohlhaas, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, explained: “…This is the first time a drug has been shown to slow disease in the brain and delay memory decline in clinical trials.”
“Although the benefits are small and the side effects are significant, this marks the arrival of a treatment that can delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Despite all this excitement, there are still many questions and many challenges to be addressed.”he added.
Faced with these results, the shadow of a number of deaths in the trials surrounds the research. Also, there are questions about whether the drug is safe for some patients, especially those taking blood thinners. Six Lecanemab-Treated Patients Suffered Strokes.
A 65-year-old woman died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage that some researchers link to lecanemab, while the other deceased was an 80-year-old man who was taking blood thinners for a heart problem..
For their part, Biogen and Eisai, the company behind the drug, say that none of the deaths were directly related to the treatment and that the number of deaths in the placebo group and the lecanemab-treated group were similar.