![]() Results showed that those given lecanemab saw their mental condition decline 27 per cent less than those given the dummy treatment. Researchers measured participants' memory, judgment, problem solving and judgement before they started taking the drug or placebo and again 18 months later. Half of participants were given 10mg/kg of the drug bi-weekly, while the others were given a placebo drug. The Phase III trial of lecanemab evaluated the drug's ability to reduce cognitive and functional decline among 1,795 patients with early Alzheimer's. The antibody treatment, created by Japanese and US pharmaceutical giants Eisai and Biogen, combats the build-up of plaque in the brain, which is thought to be behind Alzheimer's. ![]() Lecanemab is a drug that is injected bi-weekly to those suffering from early Alzheimer's. Nearly all Alzheimer's drugs until now, including those targeting amyloid, have stumbled in trials.ĭr Kristian Steen Frederiksen, director of a clinical trial unit at the University of Copenhagen, said the latest data was solid evidence the plaque is not just an 'innocent bystander' in the development of dementia drugs. Their drug works by removing sticky deposits of a protein called amyloid beta from the brains of people with Alzheimer's, delaying the progression of symptoms. The makers of lecanemab - Tokyo-based firm Eisai and US pharma giant Biogen - called their breakthrough a 'historic moment'. The breakthrough has reignited hopes that targeting a particular protein is key to treating the fatal brain disease.Īnd it now gives a huge boost to studies of similar drugs being run by pharma giants Roche and Eli Lilly - which could start to yield results in months. It makes it the first ever drug shown to arrest the progression of the condition, putting an end to decades of failed trials. Lecanemab, which is given as an injection every two weeks, was found to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease in patients by 27 per cent. A breakthrough treatment that slows Alzheimer's disease has boosted scientists' hopes for two more experimental drugs.
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