We might be on the precipice of a pivotal moment in Alzheimers disease research.
Unfortunately, it hasnt been a smooth ride for this hypothesis.
Most of these trials havent yielded success, except possibly for the one with gantenerumab.
Alzheimer’s is currently incurable once symptoms begin, but scientists are hoping it’s possible to stop its progression with early enough treatment.© sfam_photo via Shutterstock
When the original gantenerumab study concluded in 2020, the researchers found that it reduced peoples amyloid levels.
Its the latest results from this study,publishedWednesday in The Lancet Neurology, that has people excited.
We dont yet know how long they will remain symptom-freemaybe a few years or maybe decades.
That said, there are important caveats to the study.
For one, the findings only hint at a potential preventative benefit, Wisniewski notes.
But this subset only included 22 patients, an even smaller sample size.
ARIAs are a known side-effect of these drugs, though most episodes are unnoticed by patients.
Two patients did experience severe ARIAs, which prompted the researchers to stop treatment, after which they recovered.
No life-threatening events or deaths were reported during the study.
Can a Drug Prevent Alzheimers Disease Decades Before It Happens?
Gandy, Wisniewski, and the study researchers themselves all agree that this is only the beginning.
Its early days, but there might be genuine hope for this incurable disease on the horizon.
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