EXPRESS – Patients could receive the game-changing Alzheimer’s treatment as early as next year, a top expert has predicted. But scientists have warned dementia services have much to do to deliver the drug if it gets regulatory approval.
Drastic changes will be needed in UK clinics to accommodate the five percent of patients eligible for the drug, they cautioned.
The drug, Lecanemab, has been shown to clear the brain of toxic amyloid protein and delay the onset of symptoms during trials, making it the world-first treatment to slow brain decline.
Top geneticist Professor Sir John Hardy said he was confident a new era of treatments targeting amyloid was on the horizon.
He joined others in warning that the UK had too few clinics to diagnose the disease early.
NHS waiting times would need to be significantly reduced or patients will miss out, he added.
“This is a historic moment … “
Speaking at an event hosted by the Science Media Centre in London, Sir John said: “I’m really excited about the work that’s going to be presented because we’ve seen press releases and that’s a little bit dangerous.
“I actually think this is a historic moment. It’s taken a long time to get here and we first suggested amyloid therapies in 1992.”
The monoclonal antibody treatment showed promise in a Phase 3 trial, the results of which were published in September.
The immunotherapy drug was tested in a study of 1,795 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease in the US, Japan, Europe and China.
Results showed it reduced the rate of cognitive decline by 27 percent after 18 months, compared to a placebo, according to its manufacturers, Tokyo-based Eisa and US firm Biogen.
These effects were measured using a scale that assessed several cognitive domains; memory, orientation, judgement … READ MORE.
