“Great first step”: The drug slowing decline in people with Alzheimer's disease
In astonishing news, there is a drug currently in clinical trial testing that seems to indicate the possibility to slow decline in people in Alzheimer’s disease – something that is a great first step in tackling the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects up to 1 in 10 Australians over 65 years of age. This increases to 3 in 10 over 85 years, according to estimates from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
"It's not a cure. It's not going to be a miracle drug. It is a great first step," Dr Douglas Scharre, a neurologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told KDKA-TV.
More than 1180 participants, who had an intermediate level of the protein tau (a protein prevalently associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease) and clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, were assessed for how the drug altered their measure of cognition and ability to partake in daily activities, known as the Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale (iADRS).
Phase 3 trial results, released by drug company Eli Lilly but yet to be peer-reviewed, show that the drug significantly slowed cognitive and functional decline, with a 35% slowing of decline.
Meanwhile, 47% of participants on the drug showed no decline at one year, compared to 29% of the placebo cohort.
Professor Christopher Rowe, Director of the Australian Dementia Network at the University of Melbourne and Dementia Clinical Champion at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, said donanemab has the added benefit of requiring less frequent dosing than current medication and appears to work faster, meaning treatment can be stopped after 12 months in many patients.
“Importantly, the donanemab trial showed greater benefit in those with lower brain tau protein levels. Tau buildup follows amyloid buildup in Alzheimer’s disease so this is important evidence that the earlier treatment is given, the greater the benefit,” Professor Rowe said.
The drug has yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
