New Alzheimer's drug slows decline in memory - fuelling hope doctors will one day cure dementia

Doctors person hailed a "new era" of medicine aft a survey showed for the archetypal clip that a cause tin dilatory the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Results from the objective proceedings besides revealed that the cause lecanemab cleared clumps of a macromolecule called amyloid - thought to beryllium a cardinal origin of the astir communal signifier of dementia - from patients' brains.

The data, published astatine a league successful San Francisco, led to an outpouring of optimism from scientists, galore of whom had spent decades trying to recognize what leads to the illness and find a treatment.

Rob Howard, prof of aged property psychiatry astatine University College London, said the results were "wonderful and hope-filled" - adding: "At agelong past we person gained immoderate traction connected this astir unspeakable and feared illness and the years of probe and concern person yet paid off.

"It feels momentous and historic. This volition promote existent optimism that dementia tin beryllium beaten and 1 time adjacent cured."

The manufacturers of the cause released top-line results successful a quality merchandise earlier successful the autumn, but galore doctors held backmost from celebrating until afloat results were released astatine the Clinical Trials connected Alzheimer's Disease conference.

They showed that lecanemab slowed the diminution successful representation and intelligence agility by 27% successful patients with mild Alzheimer's.

'Doctors are optimistic'

Critically, the cause removed truthful overmuch of the amyloid macromolecule that the patients wouldn't person had capable grounds of Alzheimer's illness connected their encephalon scans to really suffice for introduction to the trial.

The survey powerfully suggests that the cause lone starts to person a objective effect erstwhile amyloid is reduced to debased levels successful the brain.

Results aft 12 months of attraction suggested it was ineffective - but aft 18 months, the effect was significant.

Doctors are optimistic that continued attraction volition pb to adjacent amended results.

Professor Nick Fox, manager of the Dementia Research Centre astatine University College London, said: "It confirms a caller epoch of illness modification for Alzheimer's disease, an epoch that comes aft much than 20 years of hard enactment by many, galore people, with galore disappointments on the way."

Lecanemab is not a cure. But adjacent slowing the progression of Alzheimer's illness would beryllium crippled changing, delaying the request for specializer attraction and allowing radical to walk much clip with their families.

However, the cause has broadside effects.

One successful 8 patients fixed lecanemab suffered encephalon swelling and different changes, astir apt arsenic a effect of removing the amyloid protein. But astir lone had grounds of problems connected encephalon scans. Fewer than 1 successful 30 had existent symptoms specified arsenic headaches oregon confusion.

Some patients had bleeding successful the brain, though deaths were nary higher successful those receiving attraction than those fixed a dummy drug.

Nevertheless, it underlines the request for cautious monitoring of those connected treatment.

Prof Fox said: "Any hazard is intelligibly important, but I judge that galore of my patients would beryllium precise consenting to instrumentality specified a risk.

'Massive situation for the NHS'

Doctors warned that lecanemab volition beryllium a monolithic situation for the NHS, not conscionable due to the fact that the cause is fixed done an intravenous infusion each 2 weeks.

Most Alzheimer's patients are presently diagnosed erstwhile they person mean symptoms - excessively precocious for attraction with lecanemab. And conscionable 1% person their diagnosis confirmed by a encephalon scan oregon lumbar puncture, a biopsy of their spinal fluid.

Susan Kohlhaas, manager of probe astatine Alzheimer's Research UK said: "It's harmless to accidental that the NHS is not acceptable for a caller epoch of dementia treatment.

"We estimation that unless determination are drastic changes successful however radical entree specializer diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease, lone 2% of radical eligible for drugs similar lecanemab volition beryllium capable to entree them."

Until present determination person lone been drugs that treated symptoms alternatively than the underlying cause. But if lecanemab is licensed for usage connected the NHS past delays successful attraction volition effect successful encephalon cells dying and the illness progressing.

Prof John Hardy, from the UK Dementia Research Institute successful London said the cause had been "a agelong clip coming".

He added: "I genuinely judge it represents the opening of the end.

"The archetypal measurement is the hardest, and we present cognize precisely what we request to bash to make effectual drugs. It's breathtaking to deliberation that aboriginal enactment volition physique connected this, and we volition soon person life-changing treatments to tackle this disease."