A pioneering drug has been developed which slows brain decline in Alzheimer’s patients.
Experts said “this could be the beginning of the end” of the disease after donanemab slowed decline by 36% in a late-stage clinical trial.
Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Company said the drug appeared to slow progression compared to a placebo in 1,182 people with early-stage disease by targeting a protein in the brain known as tau.
Initial results showed 47% of those injected with donanemab had no clinical progression of disease at one year compared to 29% on a placebo. It comes after a drug called lecanemab was found last year to slow progression of Alzheimer’s.
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “After 20 years with no new Alzheimer’s drugs, we now have two potential new drugs that seem to slow the progression of disease. This could be the beginning of the end of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research at Alzheimer’s Research, said: “We’re now on the cusp of something that many thought impossible only a decade ago.”
Two proteins, tau and another called amyloid, have long been detected in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. They are believed to interact in ways not yet understood.
Lecanemab was shown to slow the progression of symptoms by 27% by blocking the formation of amyloid plaques. Experts hope that targeting both tau and amyloid could further slow the loss of memory and thinking ability seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
Both trials revealed a rare but serious side effect of brain swelling.
Regulators will have to decide if the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. Dr Oakley said: “We need decisions as quickly as possible.”
