US regulators approve the first new drug for Alzheimer's in nearly 20 years, disregarding warnings the treatment doesn't slow the disease
We recognize the unmet medical need for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the devastating nature of the disease for patients and their families, and the urgency to make treatment available.The FDA's top drug regulator acknowledged in a statement that “residual uncertainties” surround the drug, but said Aduhelm's ability to reduce harmful clumps of plaque in the brain “is expected” to help slow dementia.
Biogen did not immediately disclose the price, though analysts have estimated the drug could cost between $30,000 and $50,000 for a year's worth of treatment. Nearly 6 million people in the US and many more worldwide have Alzheimer’s, which gradually attacks areas of the brain needed for memory, reasoning, communication and basic daily tasks.Alzheimer's treatment almost within reachThe global burden of the disease, the most common cause of dementia, is only expected to grow as millions more Baby Boomers progress further into their 60s and 70s.
Researchers don’t fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s but there’s broad agreement that the brain plaque targeted by aducanumab is just one factor. Many experts have warned that green lighting the drug could set a dangerous precedent, opening the door to treatments of questionable benefit.
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