New dementia drug slows disease by up to 60% in trial
In what is being termed a defining moment for the treatment of dementia, trial results of a new drug have offered some people at least a year of extra time without their disease progressing.
The drug – known as Donanemab – attacks and destroys build-ups of a protein called amyloid in the brains of people living with dementia.
Under a trial by its manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Company, about 1,700 patients were given either the drug or a placebo as an intravenous infusion every four weeks, for 18 months.
By the end of the trial, the drug appeared to have slowed clinical decline by 35% in people with early Alzheimer’s when compared with those given a placebo.
For those with a very early stage of the disease, known as mild cognitive impairment, the decline was 60% per cent slower.
“The results of this study reinforce the importance of diagnosing and treating disease sooner than we do today.”
The results pave the way for Alzheimer’s to one day become a treatable long-term condition akin to diabetes or asthma, experts said.