Very promising treatments for Alzheimer’s disease

Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, the devastating disease that affects more than 5 million Americans, has remained notoriously elusive for decades. Now, a small study published by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly offers at least a silver lining: it shows that the investigational drug donanemab can significantly slow patients’ cognitive decline.

The two-year study – which followed 272 people whose brain scans showed Alzheimer’s disease – found that patients who took the drug had a 32% slower rate of decline than those who received a placebo. “This is very encouraging as this is the first time that a drug of this type has shown positive results in preliminary trials,” says Lon Schneider, MD, Della Martin Chair in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Keck School of Medicine from the University of the South. California. The drug, known as a monoclonal antibody, works by binding to the hard plaque of the brain made from amyloid (a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease).

While these early results are promising, Schneider says more data is needed. “Everyone may have had a slight cognitive decline, in which case the results are not as significant,” he says. (The drugmaker has announced that it will publish this information shortly in a peer-reviewed clinical journal.)

But that’s not the only news Alzheimer’s researchers are excited about. “There are several new drugs, either on the verge of FDA approval or in development, that promise to really change the rules of the game when it comes to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Marwan Sabbagh, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. Here are some of the most promising contenders.