Aducanumab won’t beat Alzheimer’s, but it’s a start

The newest drug to treat Alzheimer’s isn’t the Holy Grail many had anticipated. But is it the beginning of a cure?

There was, understandably, widespread excitement when the US drug regulator last month announced accelerated approval of a drug to treat Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia. Other countries didn’t follow suit and it soon became clear this wasn’t the Holy Grail so many had anticipated – there were still too many questions about its efficacy.

However, as our story this week demonstrates, there is some cause for hope. If this treatment is not the cure, might it be the beginning of a cure? A link in the chain that will lead us to a drug, or combination of drugs, that might halt disease progression? John Hardy, the scientist linked to the original hypothesis behind this new treatment puts it this way: “I think that this is a marginally effective drug, but it points the way and the next drug will be better still.”