Doctors have called the results of a trial of the new Alzheimer’s drug Lecanemab “historic and hopeful”. They don’t think it’s a panacea, but they see the fact that a drug has succeeded in slowing down the brain’s decline as a major breakthrough.
“This really makes us more optimistic that dementia can be overcome, and one day even cured,” Rob Howard said after seeing the study results. Sky News. According to the English Professor of Aging Psychiatry, “We have finally got a grip on this terrible and dreaded disease.”
The research results of the new drug Lecanemab were shared on Tuesday evening. After years of research and development, the impact of the drug was studied for eighteen months in a trial with 1,795 volunteers.
According to the study results, the drug “resulted in moderately reduced decline in measured cognition and function,” compared to patients who received no drug but a placebo.
The drug therefore only reduced the impact of Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, there are the side effects that the drug can cause. For example, cerebral hemorrhages and swelling of the brain were observed.
Because of the side effects, 7 percent of the participants had to drop out of the trial. The study states that thirteen patients died, but according to the manufacturer, those deaths had causes other than the drug.
‘Patients are willing to take the risk’
The results cause mixed feelings among doctors. “The benefit is real, but so are the risks,” says an American doctor The New York Times. The pharmaceutical companies want to conduct further studies to better determine the efficacy and safety of their medicine.
Despite that blow to the arm, the drug offers hope, says Nick Fox, director of an English research center for dementia. “Any risk is obviously important, but I believe many of my patients would be very willing to take such a risk,” he said. Sky News.
