The 18-month trial enrolled nearly 1,800 participants.
slowed cognitive decline in a closely watched trial but may carry a risk of dangerous side effects for certain patients, according to new data presented on Tuesday.
The Alzheimer's Association said the data confirms the drug "can meaningfully change the course of the disease for people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease," and called on U.S. regulators to approve the company's application for accelerated approval. About 16% of participants had two copies of the APOE4 gene variant known to raise the risk of developing Alzheimer's, 53% had one copy of the gene , and 31% were noncarriers.
"I believe it's an important benefit that will justify full approval. But of course, we want a bigger benefit," said Dr. Paul Aisen, director of the University of Southern California Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute and a co-author of the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He said lecanemab is likely to provide greater benefit if given earlier in the disease, "before you've accumulated enough irreversible damage to be causing symptoms.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Eisai, Biogen Alzheimer's drug slows cognitive decline, safety for some becomes focusAn experimental Alzheimer's drug slowed cognitive decline in a trial but may carry a risk of dangerous side effects for certain patients
Read more »
New Alzheimer’s Drug Shows Positive Results but Side EffectsA new Alzheimer’s drug slowed cognitive decline in a study, but caused brain bleeds and swelling in some patients, furthering debate about its usefulness
Read more »
Stocks making the biggest moves in the premarket: Apple, Taboola, Biogen and moreThe stocks making the biggest moves in premarket trading include Apple, Taboola, Biogen, and more.
Read more »
Drug slows Alzheimer's but can it make a real difference?Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen had announced earlier this fall that the drug lecanemab appeared to work, a badly needed bright spot after repeated disappointments in the quest for better Alzheimer’s treatments. The data was presented at an Alzheimer’s meeting in San Francisco and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Read more »
A new Alzheimer's treatment may help some patients, though researchers say more safety data is neededA new study found that Eisai and Biogen’s experimental Alzheimer’s drug moderately reduced cognitive decline after a year and a half.
Read more »