Start of new era for Alzheimer’s treatment
Researchers say we appear to be at the start of a new era for Alzheimer’s treatment. Trial results published in January showed that for the first time a drug has been able to slow the cognitive decline characteristic of the disease. The drug, lecanemab, is a monoclonal antibody that works by binding to a key protein linked to the malady, called amyloid-beta, and removing it from the body. Experts say the results offer hope that the slow, inexorable loss of memory and eventual death brought by Alzheimer’s may one day be a thing of the past. The Gazette spoke with Scott McGinnis, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Alzheimer’s disease expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, about the results and a new clinical trial testing whether the same drug given even earlier can prevent its progression. Q&A Scott McGinnis GAZETTE: The results of the Clarity AD trial have some saying...