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 miracle drug, but they see the fact that a drug has succeeded in slowing the brain’s deterioration as a major breakthrough.
“It 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 finally have a handle 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 “led to a moderate decrease in measured cognition and function,” compared to patients who received no drug but a placebo.
So the drug 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 hemorrhage and swelling of the brain have been observed.
Because of the side effects, 7 percent of the participants had to drop out of the trial. The study reports that thirteen patients died, but according to the manufacturer, these deaths had causes other than the drug.
‘Patients are willing to take the risk’
The results are causing 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 effectiveness and safety of their medicine.
Despite that shot in the arm, the drug offers hope, says Nick Fox, director of an English dementia research centre. “Any risk is of course important, but I believe many of my patients would be very willing to take such a risk,” he said. Sky News.
