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USA approves the first new treatment for Alzheimer's disease
The first new treatment for Alzheimer's disease for nearly 20 years has been approved by regulators in the United States, paving the way for its use in the UK, BBC reported. USA
Aducanumab targets the underlying cause of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, rather than its symptoms.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said there was "substantial evidence that aducanumab reduces amyloid beta plaques in the brain" and that this "is reasonably likely to predict important benefits to patients".
In March 2019, late-stage international trials of aducanumab, involving about 3,000 patients, were halted when analysis showed it was no better, given as a monthly infusion, at slowing the deterioration of memory and thinking problems than a dummy drug.
But later that year, the US manufacturer Biogen analysed more data and concluded higher doses of aducanumab significantly slowed cognitive decline.
In the past decade, more than 100 potential Alzheimer's treatments have flopped.
And although aducanumab is not a miracle drug, and many doctors are doubtful of its benefits, its US approval will be a huge boost to dementia research, traditionally underfunded compared with cancer or heart disease.
More than 30 million people around the world are thought to have Alzheimer's, with most aged over 65. USA
Source: BBC
Image Source: BBC
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