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Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, the devastating condition that affects more than 5 million Americans, has been well-known for decades. Now, a small study released by the drug company Eli Lilly offers at least some hope: It shows that the experimental drug donanemab could significantly delay patients’ mental decline.
The two-year study – which followed 272 people who had brain scans showing Alzheimer’s – found that patients who took the drug had 32 percent slower rates of decline than those who received a placebo. “It’s very encouraging because this is the first time such a drug has had good results in early trials,” said Lon Schneider, MD, chair of Della Martin in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. The drug, called a monoclonal antibody, works by binding to the hard tissue in the brain made from amyloid (an Alzheimer’s-associated protein).
While the first results are promising, Schneider says more data are needed. “Everyone may have just had a slight mental decline, and in this case the results are less important,” he said. (The drug dealer has stated that he will soon release this information in a peer-reviewed clinical journal.)
But this is not the only news that Alzheimer’s researchers are thrilled with. “A number of new drugs are either nearing FDA approval, or in development, promising to make a real difference to the playing field when it comes to treating Alzheimer’s disease,” said Marwan Sabbagh, MD, director of the Center Lou Ruvo Cleveland Clinic for Brain Health in Las Vegas. Here are some of the most promising contenders.