New Drug Slows Alzheimer's, But Not a Cure
2023-01-10
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1United States health officials last week approved a new Alzheimer's drug.
2The drug, called Leqembi, is the first to slow the decline in memory by several months.
3The Alzheimer's Association describes Alzheimer's as a brain disease that causes a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.
4One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's disease is forgetting recently learned information or dates and events.
5People with the disease have difficulty doing things that they did before. Some may struggle with joining or following a discussion.
6The newly approved Leqembi is a long-needed new treatment for the disease.
7But experts warn that the drug is not a cure.
8Dr. Joy Snider is a brain doctor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
9She said, "This drug is not a cure. It doesn't stop people from getting worse, but it does measurably slow the progression of the disease."
10She added, "That might mean someone could have an extra six months to a year of being able to drive."
11The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug through a speedier-than-usual process.
12The process permits drugs to be launched based on early results.
13The drug is only for early-stage patients and requires an injection by healthcare workers every two weeks.
14It is not yet clear how much the drug can help people with the disease.
15There are also concerns about its safety.
16Still, "it's a landmark," said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging.
17"It's not enough, but it's encouraging that there's something we can do," he added.
18Leqembi is made by Japan's Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen.
19The drug is designed to target and clear away beta-amyloid, a substance that builds up in the brain and leads to Alzheimer's.
20Dr. Sam Gandy is an Alzheimer's expert at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital.
21He told the Associated Press that Leqembi targets a slightly different form of amyloid than other drugs that have sought to treat the disease.
22That might explain why Leqembi proved to be successful while many other experimental drugs have failed.
23In 2021, U.S. health officials approved a similar drug named Aduhelm, even though studies never proved it really helped patients.
24The move led to criticism after a congressional investigation.
25In Eisai's 18-month study of nearly 1,800 people, Leqembi appeared to delay early-stage patients from getting worse by about five months.
26The study measured people on an 18-point scale that follows their mental and functional abilities.
27People who got the drug still worsened but not as quickly as those given an inactive substance.
28The difference was nearly half a point on that scale by the study's end.
29Experts are divided over how meaningful the difference is.
30Dr. Matthew Schrag is a neurology researcher at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
31He said, "Most patients won't notice the difference."
32Schrag and some other researchers believe a meaningful improvement would require at least a difference of one full point on the 18-point scale.
33Others say slowing the disease early on - when people still function well - is important.
34Hodes, the director of the National Institute of Aging, said, "Several months with better cognition, what's that worth to you?"
35He added, "I think there you can get a strong argument: If I can interact with my family, be independent for months ... that's a very meaningful outcome."
36Like other amyloid-targeting medications, Leqembi can cause brain swelling or small brain bleeds.
37In Eisai's study, 13 percent of drug recipients had swelling, and 17 percent has small brain bleeds.
38The likely reason for this is that amyloid plaques usually form around nerve cells in the brain but sometimes they get inside blood vessels, too.
39Several Leqembi users died while taking the drug, including two people who were on blood-thinning medications.
40Eisai has said its Alzheimer's drug did not cause their deaths.
41But Gandy, the Alzheimer's expert, said the greatest risk of serious bleeding would be among Leqembi users who take blood thinners.
42Older adults commonly take blood thinners to prevent or treat strokes.
43Patients also may experience reactions from the drug that could include high body temperature, an upset stomach and changes in blood pressure.
44Eisai says the drug should be available by January 23.
45A year's worth of treatment is expected to cost $26,500.
46If insurance companies cover the drug, however, most people will not have to pay anywhere near that much.
47I'm Ashley Thompson.
1United States health officials last week approved a new Alzheimer's drug. The drug, called Leqembi, is the first to slow the decline in memory by several months. 2The Alzheimer's Association describes Alzheimer's as a brain disease that causes a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. 3One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's disease is forgetting recently learned information or dates and events. People with the disease have difficulty doing things that they did before. Some may struggle with joining or following a discussion. 4The newly approved Leqembi is a long-needed new treatment for the disease. 5But experts warn that the drug is not a cure. 6Dr. Joy Snider is a brain doctor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She said, "This drug is not a cure. It doesn't stop people from getting worse, but it does measurably slow the progression of the disease." She added, "That might mean someone could have an extra six months to a year of being able to drive." 7The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug through a speedier-than-usual process. The process permits drugs to be launched based on early results. 8The drug is only for early-stage patients and requires an injection by healthcare workers every two weeks. It is not yet clear how much the drug can help people with the disease. There are also concerns about its safety. 9Still, "it's a landmark," said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging. "It's not enough, but it's encouraging that there's something we can do," he added. 10How does the new drug work? 11Leqembi is made by Japan's Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen. The drug is designed to target and clear away beta-amyloid, a substance that builds up in the brain and leads to Alzheimer's. 12Dr. Sam Gandy is an Alzheimer's expert at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. He told the Associated Press that Leqembi targets a slightly different form of amyloid than other drugs that have sought to treat the disease. That might explain why Leqembi proved to be successful while many other experimental drugs have failed. 13In 2021, U.S. health officials approved a similar drug named Aduhelm, even though studies never proved it really helped patients. The move led to criticism after a congressional investigation. 14How effective is Leqembi? 15In Eisai's 18-month study of nearly 1,800 people, Leqembi appeared to delay early-stage patients from getting worse by about five months. 16The study measured people on an 18-point scale that follows their mental and functional abilities. People who got the drug still worsened but not as quickly as those given an inactive substance. The difference was nearly half a point on that scale by the study's end. 17Experts are divided over how meaningful the difference is. 18Dr. Matthew Schrag is a neurology researcher at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He said, "Most patients won't notice the difference." 19Schrag and some other researchers believe a meaningful improvement would require at least a difference of one full point on the 18-point scale. 20Others say slowing the disease early on - when people still function well - is important. 21Hodes, the director of the National Institute of Aging, said, "Several months with better cognition, what's that worth to you?" 22He added, "I think there you can get a strong argument: If I can interact with my family, be independent for months ... that's a very meaningful outcome." 23What are the risks? 24Like other amyloid-targeting medications, Leqembi can cause brain swelling or small brain bleeds. In Eisai's study, 13 percent of drug recipients had swelling, and 17 percent has small brain bleeds. 25The likely reason for this is that amyloid plaques usually form around nerve cells in the brain but sometimes they get inside blood vessels, too. 26Several Leqembi users died while taking the drug, including two people who were on blood-thinning medications. Eisai has said its Alzheimer's drug did not cause their deaths. 27But Gandy, the Alzheimer's expert, said the greatest risk of serious bleeding would be among Leqembi users who take blood thinners. Older adults commonly take blood thinners to prevent or treat strokes. 28Patients also may experience reactions from the drug that could include high body temperature, an upset stomach and changes in blood pressure. 29Eisai says the drug should be available by January 23. A year's worth of treatment is expected to cost $26,500. If insurance companies cover the drug, however, most people will not have to pay anywhere near that much. 30I'm Ashley Thompson. 31Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reporting from the Associated Press and other sources. 32_____________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34decline - n. the process of become worse in condition 35landmark - n. a very important achievement 36encourage - v. to make something more likely to happen 37scale - n. a range of numbers that is used to show size, quality or strength 38cognition - n. the activity of thinking, understanding, learning and remembering 39interact - v. to talk or do things with other people 40outcome - n. something that happens as a result of activity or progress 41swelling - n. an area on someone body's that is larger than normal because of an illness or injury 42plaque - n. a change in brain tissue that happens in Alzheimer's disease 43stroke - n. a serious illness caused when a blood vessel in your brain suddenly breaks or is blocked