2023-10-14 16:50:48
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A new drug for dementia is designed to slow the process of memory loss. It should start where the disease arises.
Frankfurt – Dementia is a widespread illness in which those affected lose their memory. At first it’s usually just short-term memory affected. The sense of orientation and the ability to concentrate can also decrease. Some also suffer from severe headaches. As the disease progresses, memories usually disappear from long-term memory. The disease is currently considered incurable. However, researchers are continually developing new medications to slow down the progression of the disease.
Medicines for the treatment of dementia are also called anti-dementia drugs. In an interview with the Südtirol News explains Dr. Barbara Plagg, scientist at the Institute for General Medicine and Public Health in Bolzano: “Anti-dementia drugs are not addictive, but unfortunately they do not work equally well for all patients. And sometimes it’s difficult to estimate the effect because the condition worsens despite everything – but without medication it would get even faster.” A new drug in the USA is now supposed to give hope because it starts elsewhere.
A new drug against deposits in the brain caused by dementia offers hope. (Symbolic image) © imageBROKER/IMAGO
New dementia drug to be used in patients in the early stages
This is the dementia drug with the trade name Leqembi. It contains the active ingredient lecanemab, which is administered through an infusion. According to information from the Alzheimer’s research tested in the USA using scientific studies and approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 6, 2023. The drug was developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and Biogen, a pharmaceutical company from the USA.
While other dementia drugs stimulate brain performance, the new active ingredient is intended to target where the disease begins. Those affected suffer from protein deposits in the brain. These are deposited inside and outside the nerve cells and thus prevent the transmission of information in the brain. The nerve cells die after a while. Lecanemab now targets these proteins. The active ingredient is intended to be used in early stage dementia patients to slow down the deposits. First signs of illness can be apparent several years in advance.
Memory loss was slowed by 5 months by dementia medication, according to a study
After conducting a phase 3 study with 1,795 participants, the progression of the disease was delayed by 27 percent. According to the Tagesschau report, the progression of memory loss was slowed by five months. This development could not be observed in the opposite group, which only received a placebo.
Editor’s note
The information provided in this article does not replace seeing a doctor. Only professionals can make the correct diagnosis and initiate appropriate therapy. The use of medication or nutritional supplements should be discussed with a doctor beforehand.
“This confirmatory study demonstrated that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said FDA Neurology Drugs Director Teresa Buracchio.
However, brain swelling is said to have occurred in 17 percent of the test subjects. Despite the deaths of three people, none of the deaths are believed to have been caused by the drug. So far, the expensive drug has only been approved in the USA. According to the Alzheimer’s research However, the manufacturer has already submitted an application for approval to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Also people under 65 years of Alzheimer’s and dementia get sick. The German Alzheimer Society currently assumes that there are far more people affected than already known. (mima)
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