New drug appears to slow Alzheimer’s, but can it make a real difference?
An experimental Alzheimer’s drug modestly slowed the brain disease’s inevitable worsening, researchers reported Tuesday — but it remains unclear how much difference that might make in people’s lives. Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner, Biogen, had announced earlier this fall that the drug, lecanemab, appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments. Dr. Ron Petersen, an Alzheimer’s expert at the Mayo Clinic, said the drug’s effect was “a modest one, but I think it’s clinically meaningful,” because even a few months’ delay in progression could give someone a little more time to be functioning independently. The trial is important because it shows a drug that attacks a sticky protein called amyloid — considered one of several culprits behind Alzheimer’s — can delay disease progression, said Maria Carrillo, chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Assn.
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