We could be entering the era of Alzheimer’s treatments, after the second drug in under a year has been shown to slow the disease.
Experts said we were now “on the cusp” of drugs being available, something that had recently seemed “impossible”.
The company Eli Lilly has reported its drug – donanemab – slows the pace of Alzheimer’s by about a third.
However two volunteers, and possibly a third, died as a result of dangerous swelling in the brain.
Donanemab works in the same way as lecanemab, which created headlines around the world when it was the proven to slow the disease.
Both are antibodies like those the body makes to attack viruses. But these are engineered to clear a sticky gunk from the brain, called beta amyloid.
Amyloid builds up in the spaces between brain cells, forming distinctive plaques that are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.
Having two drugs slow the disease by targeting amyloid in the brain has also convinced scientists they are on the right track after decades of misery and failure.
“This should dispel any lingering doubts about this approach,” Prof John Hardy, from the UK Dementia Research Institute, whose work led to the idea of targeting amyloid, 30 years ago, said. “Having two drugs is great for competition.”
