Alzheimer’s drug discovery marks the “beginning of the end” in the search for effective treatment

One of the proteins that accumulates in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s is called Amyloid, and the new drug Lecanemab is made to target and remove it

It was created through a collaboration between the pharmaceutical business Eisai in Tokyo and the US biotech company Biogen.

Following a trial including 1,795 persons with early Alzheimer’s disease, Eisai has officially released phase three clinical trial results.

When compared to individuals receiving a placebo, researchers discovered that the medicine delayed the advancement of the disease by 27% after 18 months.

The findings have been praised by experts, who believe they may be the long-awaited confirmation that the illness is curable.

The UK Dementia Research Institute’s group head, Professor John Hardy, of University College London, noted that the idea that removing amyloid could aid in treating the disease has been around for a long time.

He remarked, “I genuinely feel this trial is the beginning of the end and it is an essential first step.”

This has taken a while because the amyloid idea has been around for 30 years.

“These data conclusively illustrate, for the first time, the relationship between eliminating amyloid and delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s amazing to receive this confirmation that we’ve been on the correct track all along.

“The initial step is the hardest, and we now fully understand what must be done to create efficient medications.

“It’s exciting to think that future work will build on this and we will soon have life-changing treatments tot tackle this disease.”

Professor Bart De Strooper, director at the institute, said there had been “many disappointments” along the way in research on the disease.

“I believe it confirms a new era of disease modification for Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.

“An era that comes after more than 20 years of hard work on anti-amyloid immunotherapies, by many, many people, and many disappointments along the way.”

Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research at Alzheimer’s Society, said the results had the potential to be “game-changing”.

“They give us hope that in the future people with early Alzheimer’s disease could have more time with their loved ones,” he added.

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