The medical world needs cures for Alzheimer’s more than ever, as the condition is becoming more common. Some specialists have lauded an untested medicine called lecanemab as the cure we’ve all been waiting for. But to what extent should we hold out hope for lecanemab? In this Special Feature, we consult specialists in Alzheimer’s disease to clarify the mechanism of action, potential side effects, and most appropriate assessment of lecanemab.
Dementia, a series of illnesses that alter how a person’s brain functions, affects more than 55 million individuals worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease is the cause of between 60% and 80% of all dementia cases.
By 2050, researchers estimate that there will be over 153 million individuals worldwide living with dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease presently has no known treatment. However, a small number of FDA-approved medications for Alzheimer’s disease are intended to either delay the illness’s progression or assist treat some of its symptoms. Additional possible therapies, such lecanemab, are now being studied.
Lecanemab was given fast approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in treating persons with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Dr. Billy Dunn, head of the Office of Neuroscience at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, “Alzheimer’s disease irreparably impairs the lives of individuals who suffer from it and has terrible impacts on their loved ones.” This alternative for treatment is the most recent therapy to target and influence the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s disease rather than only treating the illness’s symptoms.
Three deaths were reportedly reported to have happened during the drug’s clinical testing when the approval was being given.
Describe lecanemab.
Lecanemab is an experimental medication being researched by Eisai and Biogen for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Lecanemab belongs to a class of medication known as a monoclonal antibodyTrusted Source. Antibodies are made by the human body spontaneously to protect against infection.
To combat a specific foreign substance in the body known as an antigen, scientists develop monoclonal antibodies in a lab setting. The monoclonal antibody induces the immune system to eliminate the specific antigen when it is put into a person’s body.
Recently, medical professionals have employed monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 and certain malignancies.
Lecanemab targets the amyloid protein. Dr. Christopher H. van Dyck, professor of psychiatry, neurology, and neuroscience, director of the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, director of the Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry, and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, explained for Medical News Today as a Trusted Source.
The New England Journal of Medicine article on Eisai’s Phase 3 confirmatory Clarity AD clinical trial of lecanemab has a paper on which Dr. van Dyck is the principal author.
According to him, “the goal is that it will inhibit the aetiology of Alzheimer’s disease and halt the clinical course of the disease.”
