Alzheimer's drug shows promise in early results of study

"Alzheimer's drug shows promise in early results of study"

There are few headlines in the medical press that appear more often than this one...

Wow Eizai! I used to teach Business English to their execs over 10 years ago. Great company and good memories. Some of the smartest people I've ever met in Japan.

Excellent news !!..

Can think of anything worse than being accepted for a clinical trial only to be placed in the placebo group.

All that hope for nothing. But I understand the need for such tactics.

Alzheimer is horrible disease that can doom whole families, any drug that can help is a very welcome development because it means that in the future better and cheaper options become possible.

Settle for 900 million one day, potentially make billions (more) the next.

Funny how the article neglects to include yesterday's Biogen news:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/biogen-inc-agrees-pay-900-million-settle-allegations-related-improper-physician-payments

This is more about shareholders in the company. These announcements will push the share price, benefiting the owners of shares. I wonder if they have really found anything that contributes to this problem.

My 27-year-old son was diagnosed earlier this year with Dystonia. It’s another neurological disorder without a cure. I spend a lot of time reading up on treatments and the one that seems to work best ,which is Botox injections into the muscles, the doctors have yet to try. He has been on a medication for Parkinson’s now for 6 months with no improvement. I hope this latest drug will pave the way for treatment for other neurological disorders.

The drug is an antibody that targets the beta amyloid protein, which appears to be associated with Alzheimer's. Years ago, researchers increasingly questioned the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's. This skepticism was reversed by a seminal study published in Nature in 2006, which appeared to confirm the hypothesis.

Unfortunately, it seems that study was faked!!!

Also, these beta amyloid-targeting antibodies tend to cause brain swelling...

This skepticism was reversed by a seminal study published in Nature in 2006, which appeared to confirm the hypothesis.

Unfortunately, it seems that study was faked!!!

The amyloid hypothesis is not affected by the problems with the Aβ star 56 study, only that specific variety is what is likely false, but since the drugs are not meant to target that variety there is no contradiction nor the therapies described here compromised. Other oligomers have already been linked with Alzheimer-like disease in animals, and lecanemab demonstrated an important effect in the clinical trials (as reported in this news article)

Also, these beta amyloid-targeting antibodies tend to cause brain swelling...

Yes, therapies can have negative side effects, which is why they are used under medical supervision, antibiotics can cause renal damage, analgesics bleedings, that does not mean they can't be used safely or their benefits outweight their risks.

Other oligomers have already been linked with Alzheimer-like disease in animals,

Yes, linked. But do they cause Alzheimer's. I believe that fake study was the only one that showed a causative role.

and lecanemab demonstrated an important effect in the clinical trials (as reported in this news article)

Yes, a reported wopping 27% decrease in decline after 18 months of the infused treatment. If true, I'm still not sure it's worth the risk of brain swelling.

Yes, linked. But do they cause Alzheimer's. I believe that fake study was the only one that showed a causative role.

One of the studies, not the only one, which means it can be discarded without any problem and the causation would still be proved, this article describes data that also proves the causal relationship because treating the accumulation results in a decrease of the progression.

Yes, a reported wopping 27% decrease in decline after 18 months of the infused treatment. If true, I'm still not sure it's worth the risk of brain swelling.

That may be because you have no experience with the disease and how it can destroy a person life, and again, if medical doctors say they can safely control the risk obviously their professional opinion is much more relevant.

Raw BeerSep. 29  11:13 pm JST

Yes, a reported wopping 27% decrease in decline after 18 months of the infused treatment. If true, I'm still not sure it's worth the risk of brain swelling.

Yes, brain swelling is a severe risk; much more so than risks of renal failure after taking antibiotics.

Yes, brain swelling is a severe risk; much more so than risks of renal failure after taking antibiotics.

How does this refutes the fact that doctors can take care of both problems to avoid risk?