Anti-Amyloid Antibodies in Short: R Scott Turner, PhD, MD Explains
The revolutionary medications are the first new treatments for Alzheimer disease to be approved in more than 20 years and the first-ever disease-modifying drugs.
There are 2 anti-amyloid antibodies (AAA) approved by the FDA and indicated for treatment of individuals with Alzheimer disease. Lecanemab (Leqembi; Eisai) and donanemab (Kisunla; Lilly) are to be initiated in adults with mild cognitive impairment and confirmation of elevated ß-amyloid (Aβ) in the brain, the underlying pathophysiology of Alzheimer dementia.
Aβ accumulation is thought to initiate downstream changes in tau protein, which causes hyperphosphorylation and aggregation of the proteins into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) within neurons. In randomized clinical trials of 18 months' duration, both AAAs have shown removal of brain plaque amyloid, often to below detection thresholds by amyloid PET.1,2 Clinical findings in the trials have demonstrated a reduction in both cognitive and functional decline of between 25% to 40%, depending on the specific outcome measure used, according to R Scott Turner, PhD, MD, director of the Memory Disorders Program and a professor in the department of neurology at George Washington University, in Washington, DC.
Lecanemab and donanemab are the first new therapies for Alzheimer disease to be approved in nearly 20 years and the first disease-modifying therapies to be approved for the progressive brain disorder. In this short video, Turner highlights the breakthrough medications.
