The Food Drug and Administration recently approved a drug that may help patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's by slowing down the progression of the disease. In clinical trials, the drug called lecanemab reduced the rate of cognitive decline among participants.
the drug to Alzheimer's patients. Due to the controversy surrounding the drug's efficacy and its high price, as well as the negative publicity it has received, few patients have gotten the treatment. As a result, many doctors who treat the disease have been left, once again, with limited options.
Like Aduhelm, the drug lecanemab was developed by Eisai in partnership with fellow drugmaker Biogen. These treatments are monoclonal antibody therapies that are designed to remove a substance called beta-amyloid from the brain. Beta-amyloid is a naturally occurring protein that becomes toxic when it clumps together and forms the sticky plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The clinical trial data shows a statistically significant but clinically undetectable difference in the outcome measure between active treatment and placebo over 18 months,” Dr. Michael Greicius, a professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University, told Yahoo News. “I do consider it a game changer but in a negative sense for how it will change the clinical and research landscape around Alzheimer’s disease,” Greicius said.
If CMS ultimately decides not to cover lecanemab, Greicius said, the drug will likely be used but not very widely, as it would have to be paid for out of pocket.
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