The New Alzheimer’s Drug

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• About Alzheimer’s Disease
• Who has Alzheimer’s Disease?
• What is Known about Alzheimer’s Disease?
• Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
• News Summary
• About the Findings
• Significance of the Findings

Why in News?

Within a year, a second drug has been found effective in checking cognitive decline in people with early Alzheimer’s.

About Alzheimer’s Disease

• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
  • Dementia is a general term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life.
  • Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia.
• It is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.
• Alzheimer’s disease involves parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language.
• It can seriously affect a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.

‹ ›

Who has Alzheimer’s Disease?

• Currently more than 55 million people have dementia worldwide, over 60% of whom live in low-and middle-income countries.
• Every year, there are nearly 10 million new cases.
• Younger people may get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is less common.
• The number of people living with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65.
• Symptoms of the disease can first appear after age 60, and the risk increases with age.
• Prevalence of Dementia in India –
  • The estimated dementia prevalence for adults ages 60+ in India is 7.4%.
  • About 8.8 million Indians older than 60 years live with dementia.
• Dementia is more prevalent among females than males and in rural than urban areas.

What is Known about Alzheimer’s Disease?

• Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease.
• There likely is not a single cause but rather several factors that can affect each person differently.
• Age is the best known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

• There is currently no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
• Treatment addresses several areas –
  • Helping people maintain brain health.
  • Managing behavioural symptoms.
  • Slowing or delaying symptoms of the disease.
• Doctors prescribe a healthy diet, exercising regularly, sleeping well, and reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
• Other than that, doctors suggest that people, especially the elderly and those with family history, should keep their brains active and engaged.
• Solving puzzles, learning new languages or new skills, and going out and making friends can all help.

News Summary

• Donanemab, developed by the U.S. based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, has been found to slowdown cognitive decline by 35% when compared with a placebo in phase III trial.
• This is the second drug, within a span of one year, that has been found to be effective in checking cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
• It is important to note that the two drugs don’t stop or reverse Alzheimer’s.
• However, their results have still excited neurologists, because over the years, despite heavy investments, trial after trial for Alzheimer’s medications have failed.

About the Findings

• Over an 18-month period, the trail met the primary endpoint of slowing cognitive decline in those with early Alzheimer’s.
• Along with a 35% slower cognitive decline in those who received the drug, it noted a 40% less decline in people’s ability to do daily tasks.
• More importantly, the study found that there was no cognitive decline in 47% of the people who received the drug as compared with 29% of those who received a placebo.

Significance of the Findings

• While the cases of Alzheimer’s are on the rise – an estimate suggests that India’s burden of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is a part, will increase to 14 million by 2050.
• Now, the consecutive success of three therapies in two years in slowing cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer’s establishes more firmly the theory that one of main causes of the disease are the abnormal clumps of amyloid beta protein found in brain cells.

Q1) What is the Parkinson’s Disease?

A disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often including tremors.

Nerve cell damage in the brain causes dopamine levels to drop, leading to the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Q2) What are Neurological Disorders?

Neurological disorders are diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. In other words, the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles.

Source: How new alzheimer drugs donanemab and lecanemab compare | CDC