New Research Offers Hope to People Living With Dementia
Researchers have finally found some exciting news for people living with dementia.
With the full data revealed at the San Francisco Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference, scientists allowed themselves to become optimistic at the prospect of a “new era” in disease modification for Alzheimer’s Disease.
After 20 years of searching, medics have produced a new drug that is able to slow down memory loss symptoms in trial patients by 27%.
Lecanemab has been shown to reduce the amyloid protein that may be associated with the development of dementia. The treatment showed a positive effect after 18 months of administering the treatment.
This drug doesn’t reverse dementia entirely and it’s not suitable for those at moderate and severe stages.
However, it looks to be a promising option for those in the early development of dementia provided they get a diagnosis in time.
The treatment been associated with a few side effects such as brain swelling for one in eight patients and some cases of bleeding on the brain. Despite this, it’s a huge milestone in dementia research and a cause for celebration in the scientific community.
Although Lecanemab isn’t a panacea for all dementia cases, those in the medical community hail it as a gamechanger that could lead to many more developments.
Profession John Hardy of the UK Dementia Research Institute stated:
“The first step is the hardest, and we now know exactly what we need to do to develop effective drugs. It’s exciting to think that future work will build on this, and we will soon have life-changing treatments to tackle this disease.”
University College London’s Rob Howard, professor of old age psychiatry waxed lyrical about this pivotal discovery: “At long last we have gained some traction on this most terrible and feared disease and the years of research and investment have finally paid off.
“It feels momentous and historic. This will encourage real optimism that dementia can be beaten and one day even cured.”
Source: Sky News