New drug by Eli Lilly makes major Alzheimers breakthrough

A new experimental drug for Alzheimer‘s disease has been shown to slow its progression in a large study, providing experts with optimism.

taking pill

A new experimental drug for Alzheimer‘s disease has been shown to slow its progression in a large study, providing experts with optimism, albeit with some warning of risks.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab, has provided the most convincing evidence yet that it is possible to eliminate amyloid plaques from the brain, thus benefiting Alzheimer’s patients.

In the 18-month trial, donanemab met all the goals, slowing Alzheimer’s progression by 35 per cent compared to the placebo.

The study was conducted with 1,182 people in the early stages of Alzheimer‘s disease.

These patients’ brains had deposits of two Alzheimer’s proteins associated with disease progression and brain cell death.

According to the company, the patients received monthly infusions of donanemab, and at 12 months, half of the participants had no amyloid plaques in their brains.

It also said that 47 per cent of patients on donanemab had no disease progression at 12 months, compared to 29 per cent in the placebo group.

The drug was also tested on 552 patients with high levels of tau, and when both groups were combined, donanemab slowed progression by 29 per cent based on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR-SB), which is commonly used to measure dementia progression.

Experts said that Lilly‘s findings were approximately comparable to Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc’s lecanemab, which decreased cognitive decline by 27 per cent in patients with early Alzheimer’s in a study published last year.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab, has provided the most convincing evidence yet that it is possible to eliminate amyloid plaques from the brain, thus benefiting Alzheimer’s patients

Lilly‘s results have driven its shares to a record high, rising more than 6 per cent to $429.85.

Dr Ronald Petersen, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mayo Clinic, stated that Lilly’s trial is the third to demonstrate that removing amyloid from the brain can slow disease progression, which could put to rest any remaining doubts about the benefits of drugs in this class and the amyloid-lowering theory.

“It’s modest, but I think it’s real, and I think it’s clinically meaningful,” he said via the ABC.

Dr Erik Musiek, a neurologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, stated that the efficacy of donanemab looks as good or better than lecanemab.

“The evidence is really starting to build up that these drugs do work,” he said.

Lilly stated that the drug‘s side effects may include brain swelling and bleeding, and that serious brain swelling occurred in 1.6 per cent of donanemab patients, including two deaths attributed to the condition and a third after a severe brain swelling incident.

Lilly is planning to apply for traditional US approval by the end of June, with plans to follow up with regulators from other countries shortly afterwards. A company spokesperson stated that a US approval decision should be made by year-end or early 2024.

According to the Alzheimer‘s Association, more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050.

Originally published as New drug by Eli Lilly makes major Alzheimers breakthrough