DETROIT – More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.
While there is no cure, a drug recently approved by the FDA is giving some patients hope for a better future.
Joan Murtaugh, 77, has a lifetime of memories, but a few years ago she and her husband felt something was off. She was then diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
There was nothing doctors could do until recently, when the FDA approved a drug that may slow the progression. Leqembi reduces deposits in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
“If, somehow, you interrupt this cascade of amyloid buildup in the brain, you may be able to slow down this progression,” said Dr. Babak Tousi.
Patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s who received the medication had a 27% reduction of amyloid beta plaque and a slower rate of cognitive decline. Doctors also saw a decrease in another harmful brain protein, Tau Tangles.
Joan Murtaugh has been on the medication for three years.
“I think she’s clear. She’s sharper,” said her husband, Larry Murtaugh. “She’ll remember something that happened yesterday or the day before. I’m thinking, ‘Something’s working here.’”
“When I think about it, I can still drive a car. I mean, I can go back and forth and do the things I always did,” Joan Murtaugh said.
The two hope it will continue to work and they’ll continue to create many more memories together.
Tousi believes it’s just the beginning. Clinical trials are already underway using Leqembi in people who are at high risk for Alzheimer’s, but are not showing signs of cognitive decline.
It’s not without risk. In its approval, the FDA included its strongest warning label about side effects, noting that Leqembi can lead to bleeding and brain swelling.