Researchers express mixed feelings over new Alzheimer’s drug

USA: More than 55 million people are diagnosed with dementia globally. Dementia is a condition that affects the way the brain functions, around 60 to 70% of dementia cases are relative to Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers predict that the number of people diagnosed with dementia will increase exponentially by 2050.

Lecanemab is an experiemntal drug, used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease developed collaboratively by two pharmaceutical companies: Eisai and Biogen.

Lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody. Scientists have engineered this drug specifically to attack the amyloid protein buildup in the brain, which is specifically diagnostic of Alzheimer’s disease. When introduced into the human body, the monoclonal antibodies present in the drug initiate an immune response to destroy the target antigen.

“The hope is for it to interfere with Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis and to slow the clinical progression of the disease,” said Dr. Christopher H. van Dyck, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience, Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit and Director of the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

However, conclusion of the research suggested that while Lecanemab may show positive results in its effect on slowly Alzheimers, there may be some concerning side effects.

Although Lecanemab is largely a well-tolerated drug in humans. Common side effects being headaches, infusion related reactions since the drug is intravenously administered or ARIA (Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormality).

However, according to the researchers, ARIA is a side effects involving the buildup of blood or fluid in the brain.

“People with Alzheimer’s disease also have this amyloid protein in the blood vessels, so when they remove some of the amyloid from the blood vessels, it can make them leaky,” he detailed. “And that means that there can be swelling in the brain and there can be bleeding in the brain.”

While this research is a step towards medical advancement and pharmaceutical breakthroughs, we are still 5 to 10 years away from curating a drug that possesses negligible side effects and can be considered safe for consumption and effective against disease.