HEALTHY LIVING


New Drug May Slow Alzheimer’s


Biggest benefit for those diagnosed early. :: BY CHRIS ILIADES, M.D. A


mericans age 60 and older fear Alzheimer’s disease more than any other condition, according


to a recent survey. That fear is understandable, as it


now affects 6 million Americans and is expected to climb to 13 million by 2050. However, there is good news.


On July 6, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration announced full approval of the first drug shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Lecanemab (Leqembi), from


Japanese drugmaker Eisai, is one of a class of medications called anti- amyloid monoclonal antibody drugs. While a January survey found


that fewer than half of neurologists currently recommend Leqembi to patients, several studies have estimated that it can take an average of 17 years for clinical research to be


78 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | AUGUST 2024


adopted into routine practice. “These drugs are engineered


antibodies that target amyloid plaques, bind to the proteins, and remove them,” explains Daniel Murman, M.D., a neurologist and director of Memory Disorders and Behavioral Neurology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Amyloid plaques are protein


clumps that build up slowly and destroy brain cells, called neurons, and their connections. “We don’t know the exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease, but we know that it forms plaques of amyloid protein in the brain, so it makes sense that a drug that removes amyloid could help,” says Kerin Hausknecht, M.D., director of neurology at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York.


LEQEMBI TRIALS “Studies suggest that these


medications may slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s by one or two years over the course of the disease,” says Murman. “The Leqembi trial slowed


progression by about 30% over the 18-month study. That’s important time for people with the disease, and a first step in the right direction.” About 800 men and women with


early Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the earliest stage of dementia, received Leqembi and 800 took a placebo in the mid-stage study.


After 18 months, brain imaging


studies showed that the participants in the treatment group had significant reduction in amyloid plaques, slower memory and thinking loss, and retained more ability to manage activities of daily living, compared to the placebo group.


POPTIKA/SHUTTERSTOCK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100