Drug Donanemab Shows Promise in Alzheimer’s Treatment Trials Around the World

A worldwide study has shown that the new medication donanemab slows down patients’ cognitive deterioration, making it the turning point in the treatment of Alzheimer’s. As it removes the protein buildup in the brain that happens in instances of Alzheimer’s, this antibody medication benefits individuals who are still in the early stages of the illness.

This medication is not referred to as a treatment for Alzheimer’s, but rather as a means of managing the condition and slowing patients’ cognitive loss.

Donanemab is only effective for Alzheimer’s disease, not for other kinds of dementia such vascular dementia, according to the findings.

According to reports, patients in the studies have reported that the illness has slowed down by around a third, which has given them more time to recall their regular lives and activities.

Become a trial participant
One of the study participants, Mike Colley, 80, told the BBC he was “one of the luckiest people you’ll ever meet” in a recent interview. Colley, who receives his injection once a month at a facility in London, joined the experiment not long after his family realized he had memory and decision-making issues.

His son Mark told the reporters, “It was really difficult to see Dad struggle with information processing and problem-solving. However, I believe that the current downturn has peaked. Mike Colley said that he becomes more self-assured every day.

consequences of donanemab
The new medication donanemab has shown encouraging outcomes, although there are still some risks.

Brain swelling was a frequent adverse effect in the experiment, which affected one-third of the participants, although most of them are said to have recovered without experiencing any severe symptoms. Meanwhile, severe brain enlargement claimed the lives of two participants and maybe a third.

Results of the Donanemab study
1,736 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, aged 60 to 85, were investigated by researchers in the donanemab experiment. For a total of 18 months, half of them got a monthly infusion while the other half took a placebo.

The trial’s results started with some individuals experiencing the drug’s significant advantages. According to reports, individuals who had brain scans at an earlier stage and had less brain amyloid at baseline benefited more.

The medication helped the patients recall more about their regular routines and even talk about the news, take calls, and engage in hobbies.

Overall, the disease’s advancement was slowed down by 20–30%, and in a group of individuals who researchers thought were more likely to respond—as judged by what they could still do on a daily basis—the disease’s development was slowed down by 30–40%.

The participants in the study need to be informed of the risks involved. After a year, the protein buildup in the brains of half of the patients who got donanemab had adequately disappeared.