Doctors Discover Alzheimer Drug That Actually Works
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A new Alzheimer drug is offering benefits to patients suffering from the devastating disease that destroys memory and other critical mental function. The drug, Lacanemab, was the main focus at a recent meeting in San Francisco. The drug has the potential to decrease the decline of thinking and memory in patients who have Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s affects more than six million Americans of all ages. For patients over 65, the disease affects as many as six and a half million people. With so many people suffering from this terrible disease, an Alzheimer drug that aids in the treatment of this disease is long overdue.
Clinical trials of the Alzheimer drug studied over 1,800 patients in the early stages of the disease. Results showed that those who took the medicine for a period of 18 months experienced 27% less of a decline in both memory and thinking. This is a massive breakthrough in the treatment and management of the disease.
While the new Alzheimer drug is not a cure, it is something that has the ability to improve the lives of those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Medical professionals at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease meeting in San Francisco turned the event into a party to celebrate the breakthrough. Many doctors expressed feelings of joy and elation.
While some doctors were celebrating, others were on the other side of the fence. Like all medications, there are potential risks involved, and some scientists and doctors are questioning if it is really worth it. Pros and cons will have to be weighed, and opinions surrounding the drug differ among experts in the field.
Dr. Madhav Thambisetty is voicing his concerns surrounding Lanacemab, the new Alzheimer drug. The doctor of neurology suggests that the risks far outweigh the small benefit that one may receive from taking the medication. One of the major risks associated with the drug includes brain shrinkage.
Brain swelling can worsen symptoms of memory loss and brain function and even lead to death. While a decline in memory loss sounds promising, such a colossal risk may not be worth it. Other drugs similar to the new Alzheimer drug have been studied before, and the results have been frustrating, to say the least.
Other Alzheimer drugs and Lacanemab, the latest one, use lab-made monoclonal antibodies. These antibodies are designed to take away beta-amyloid from the brain. Beta-amyloid is a type of protein that clumps up in the brain and results in a sticky plaque, thought to be a tell tell sign of Alzheimers.
Years of research on different Alzheimer drugs failing to act as scientists and doctors expected them to have led the researchers to question if, in fact, the build-up of beta-amyloid is a cause for loss of brain cells that contributes to loss of brain function and memory loss. The study of the disease has caused so many questions. The brain is such an intricate and delicate organ it is hard to understand.
To date, there has only been one amyloid antibody Alzheimer drug ever approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Despite approval from the FDA, the drug has made it to only a few patients and faced very negative publicity. As so many people are living with such a devastating disease, scientists will continue to cure or treat the disease.
