US health authorities authorized a new drug against Alzheimer’s on Friday. The treatment is eagerly awaited, as nearly 6.5 million people suffer from the disease in the country.
Hope for the sick and their loved ones. US health authorities authorized a new drug against Alzheimer’s on Friday. Despite its very high price, the treatment is highly anticipated after the failed launch of a previous drug with a similar mechanism a year and a half ago.
• What is this new drug?
The treatment, which will be marketed under the name Leqembi, consists of an active ingredient called Lecanemab which targets deposits of the beta-amyloid protein. It should be administered intravenously twice a month.
The drug is now recommended by the US Medicines Agency (FDA) for patients who have not yet reached an advanced stage of the disease. About 100,000 people could receive it within three years in the United States.
• What does it promise?
The new treatment, developed by a Japanese pharmaceutical company, should make it possible to reduce the cognitive decline of patients suffering from this neurodegenerative disease that is Alzheimer’s.
Clinical trials conducted on nearly 1,800 people, the results of which were recently published in a scientific journal, show that the drug reduces this cognitive decline by 27%. The evolution of the disease eventually prevents patients from speaking properly and performing daily tasks.
• Why is this a new advance?
This is the first time that a drug against Alzheimer’s has obtained such conclusive results in clinical trials.
The treatment represents “an important step forward in our battle to effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease”, assures in particular the American Medicines Agency (FDA) in a press release.
This progress is particularly expected after the failure of a previous drug launched in June 2021. Its authorization had caused controversy, with some experts criticizing the lack of evidence on its effectiveness, and the drug was finally reserved for people with moderate cases of disease.
With the aging of the population in the United States, approximately 6.5 million people currently suffer from the disease in the country.
• What question marks remain about the treatment?
Some side effects have been noted during clinical trials, some of the patients treated having suffered from cerebral hemorrhages. At least one person who received the treatment has died.
“Whether Lecanemab will really be a game-changer as some say remains to be proven,” some experts wonder in the scientific journal. The Lancet early December.
The price of the drug, 26,500 dollars per year, also raises questions, while Medicare, health insurance reserved for the elderly, has already expressed its reluctance to reimburse it.
