A drug candidate for people with early Alzheimer’s disease slowed cognitive decline by about 27 percent over 18 months, according to a report on a phase 3 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Tuesday. Lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody given as an intravenous infusion every two weeks that targets a sticky protein, beta-amyloid, that clogs the nerve pathways in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. A total of 1795 participants were enrolled in the phase 3 trial, with 898 receiving lecanemab and 897 receiving placebo. “Lecanemab reduced markers of amyloid in early Alzheimer’s disease and led to modestly smaller declines in measures of cognition and function compared to placebo at 18 months, but was associated with adverse events,” according to the report. “Larger trials are warranted to determine the efficacy and safety of lecanemab in early Alzheimer’s disease.” Adverse events reported are “infusion-related reactions in 26.4% of participants” as well as “amyloid-related imaging abnormalities with edema or effusions in 12.6%.” However, there were also some potentially serious side effects, with Science reporting that there were two deaths possibly related to the trial. A 65-year-old woman who took part in the trial died after suffering a brain haemorrhage. She had amyloid deposits around many of her brain’s blood vessels, which “likely contributed to her brain bleeding after two weeks of lecanemab infusions of inflammation and blood vessel weakening,” according to Science. Her death follows a report that an 80-year-old man involved in the trial died of a brain bleed. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved another Alzheimer’s drug also based on monoclonal antibodies called Aduhelm, although it has significant safety risks. Dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death among all diseases and one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among the elderly worldwide, according to the World. About 60% of dementia cases are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. In May 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Action Plan to Address Dementia in Public Health 2017-2025. Image Credits: Photo by Steven HWG on Unsplash. Fight informatics in health information and support health policy reporting from the global South. Our growing network of journalists in Africa, Asia, Geneva and New York connect the dots between regional realities and major global debates, with evidence-based open access news and analysis. To make a personal or organizational contribution click here on PayPal.
