Donanemab – new research gives hope to Alzheimer’s sufferers

INNOVATION

In the United States, a new investigational drug has shown positive results against Alzheimer’s disease. According to Henrik Zetterberg, senior physician and professor at the University of Gothenburg, research into a cure for Alzheimer’s is “on the right track”.

The American pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly announces that its investigational drug “donanemab” against Alzheimer’s disease has shown clearly positive results in the third phase of its development.

The drugmaker’s study showed that those treated with donanemab had 35 percent less cognitive and functional decline in early Alzheimer’s disease than those who received a placebo. This over a period of 18 months.

Antibodies

The investigational drug is an antibody that aims to slow down the progression of the disease.

– It is believed that Alzheimer’s disease is driven by the accumulation of protein clumps, explains Henrik Zetterberg, senior physician and professor at the University of Gothenburg.

– What has emerged now is that with antibodies you can get the body to eat the protein lumps, he continues.

The method is not new in itself, but the third of its kind that has been approved.

According to Henrik Zetterberg, however, the new positive results show that research is on the right track and that the field can move forward:

– With three different antibodies that all showed the same result, I think it really shows that the concept is right, he points out.

“As quickly as possible”

In a press release Eli Lilly also states that the company plans to apply “as soon as possible” for approval from the US FDA.

If the drug is approved, it may be prescribed in the United States and used in healthcare.

Since Eli Lilly’s study focuses on patients with early symptoms, the new drug will probably not be effective in people with more advanced Alzheimer’s disease, according to Henrik Zetterberg. This is because the disease has already caused too much brain damage.