There is a new hope for patients and people suffering from Alzheimer’s. Families everywhere awaken to the silent yet sobering reality of Alzheimer’s disease on a daily basis. Millions of individuals are gradually losing their memories, thoughts, and basic everyday activities due to this illness, forcing loved ones to look for solutions and support. Even though numerous therapies have offered respite, long-term optimism has frequently seemed unattainable—until recently. There is some hope for those who are suffering from Alzheimer’s, thanks to recent research.
Four years after treatment, an Alzheimer’s medication continues to provide benefits
Eisai 4523.T and Biogen’s BIIB.O Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi continued to slow the progress of the disease with no new safety issues four years into treatment, according to new data presented at a medical meeting on Wednesday. An injectable version of the drug, currently given by intravenous infusion, is under U.S. regulatory review and awaiting results.
The best results were seen in people who started treatment while in the earliest stages of the brain-wasting disease. In a pivotal trial of patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s, Leqembi was shown to slow cognitive decline by 27% compared to a placebo after 18 months – data that supported the drug’s U.S. approval in 2023.
The companies continued to follow about 95% of patients enrolled in that trial. The latest results show that after four years, Leqembi slowed cognitive decline by 34% compared to what would be expected in similar patients who did not receive treatment. Leqembi targets protofibrils – toxic building blocks that eventually form clumps in the brain known as amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
These results are important to patients and their families
Diseases of any kind in general do not bring happiness, whether or not it is Alzheimer’s. When someone receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, their greatest concern is frequently how soon the illness will take away their capacity to lead a normal life. As loved ones lose the ability to recognize familiar faces or do basic chores, many families endure the emotional and financial strain of providing care.
According to recent intensive research, medications like Kisunla and Leqembi slow down Alzheimer’s disease but do not cure it. In actual life, that can entail staying in one’s own house, remembering the names of one’s grandchildren, or engaging in comforting and joyful pastimes for an additional year or more. To a certain extent, it does give one’s life hope and a sense of belonging.
Lynn Kramer, Eisai’s chief clinical officer, said that interactions with the FDA “have been right on schedule. They have been communicating with us all the time in an expected manner.”
The long-term Leqembi research demonstrates consistent safety and effectiveness
There were no new safety findings over the four-year period. Brain swelling and bleeding associated with drugs that work by removing amyloid plaque from the brain largely occurred within the first six months of treatment, according to data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto. More than 50% of patients who started treatment in the earlier stages of Alzheimer’s continued to show improvement.
Eisai is conducting a separate study of Leqembi in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients that is due to conclude in late 2027. Eli Lilly LLY.N is also studying its Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla in people who have detectable disease pathology but show no noticeable cognitive decline. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where recent job cuts have raised questions about review times, is slated to decide by August 31 whether to approve an injectable version of Leqembi that could be given to patients at home or at medical facilities. He said the new formulation “will be very helpful to starting new patients.”