What are these new drugs?
First off the mark was lecanemab, which in a global clinical study of 1,795 participants with early Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), reportedly held back the rate of cognitive decline – the loss of memory and thinking skills – by 27% and slowed down the decline in quality of life by up to 56%. It was first approved for use in the US as a treatment for early AD in January 2023.
Then, in May, came the news of another drug, donanemab, which according to its manufacturers, slowed expected progression of cognitive decline in people with early AD by a similar percentage. A third drug, remternetug, is undergoing trials. It’s similar to donanemab but given by injection with an insulin-style pen, rather than by intravenous drip.
How do they work?