New Alzheimer’s drug labelled “historic”

A new drug appears to slow Alzheimer’s disease in what experts defined a “historic moment”.

A new drug called lecanemab, has been developed by pharmaceutical companies Eisai and Biogen. The full details of the trial have not yet been published but it appears to slow the pace of brain’s decline.

Scientists have injected 1,795 volunteers in the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease with lecanemab every two weeks. The volunteers had their memory and mental agility regularly checked.

Results have shown a 27 per cent reduction in the pace of cognitive decline, compared with people given a dummy or placebo.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is a historic moment for dementia research, as this is the first phase three trial of an Alzheimer’s drug in a generation to successfully slow cognitive decline.

“Many people feel Alzheimer’s is an inevitable part go again. This spells it out: if you intervene early you can make an impact on how people progress.”

Eisai and Biogen are expected to apply for regulatory approval in the US and Europe by the end of the year. If approved, healthcare providers will have difficult decisions about whether to fund the drug, which requires infusions every two weeks, and who will be eligible for it because the clinical improvements seen by patients fall jut below a widely accepted benchmark.

Prof Jon Schott, chief medical offer of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “If this is licensed and this get through Nice [the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence], the demand will be huge. We’re not ready to deliver this at cal and we need to address that now.”