Dementia: Drug found to slow Alzheimer's disease in breakthrough labelled as 'turning point'

Promising new drugs are being hailed as “a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s”

A new era “where Alzheimer’s disease could become treatable” is on the horizon, according to charities, after a drug was found to slow the progression of the debilitating condition.

Donanemab, a new drug that is being hailed as a “turning point in the fight against Azheimer’s”, has been shown to slow down the progression of the disease by up to 35 per cent.

Dementia is one of the UK’s leading causes of death. Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for 50 per cent of these cases, and is set to affect more than a million UK residents by the middle of this century as the population ages further.

The hands of a resident at a nursing home. Picture: John Stillwell/PA Wire

Improved treatment and care pathways for those with the condition is a priority for both the UK and Scottish governments, but the causes of the disease are still poorly understood.

It is thought donanemab could allow people with the disease to still perform day-to-day tasks including shopping, housekeeping, managing finances and taking medication.

The drug, known as TRAILBLAZER ALZ-2, which works by removing a protein called amyloid that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, is manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company.

In a study examining almost 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s, half received a monthly infusion of donanemab while the other half were given a placebo over 18 months.

Dementia is one of the UK’s leading causes of death and Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for 50 per cent of these cases. Picture: Getty Images

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented to the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam, concluded that after 76 weeks of treatment, donanemab was able to slow clinical decline by 35.1 per cent in people with early Alzheimer’s whose brain scans showed low or medium levels of a protein called tau.

When the results were combined for people who had different levels of this protein, there was a 22.3 per cent slowing in disease progression.

But researchers did find that among a small number of people in the study, there were some serious side effects such as brain swelling.

Meanwhile three deaths in the donanemab group and one in the placebo group were considered "treatment related".

The study comes after TauRx, an Aberdeenshire-based life sciences company, announced it was on the verge of producing a medicine that can halt the deterioration of brain function in Alzheimer's patients.

The discovery had given hope to the millions of dementia sufferers worldwide, potentially creating the first preventative treatment for a deteriorating brain disease.

TauRx has now shared results from its late-stage clinical trial, LUCIDITY, providing evidence that its investigational drug leads to sustained cognitive improvement at an early, clinically detectable stage of Alzheimer’s – offering the prospect of improved brain function for patients.

The company is pursuing regulatory submissions in the UK, US and Canada to prepare for market availability.

The Alzheimer’s Society said treatments like donanemab could one day mean that Alzheimer’s could be likened to other long-term conditions such as asthma or diabetes.

The charity said that new treatments, including donanemab, which works by removing a protein called amyloid that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, heralds a “new era” for Alzheimer’s disease.

Yet another drug – lecanemab – has been found to reduce memory decline among patients with early-stage disease.

Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said the latest drugs were “truly a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s”, with scientists now proving it is possible to slow down the disease.

“Treatments like donanemab are the first steps towards a future where Alzheimer’s disease could be considered a long-term condition alongside diabetes or asthma,” he said.

“People may have to live with it, but they could have treatments that allow them to effectively manage their symptoms and continue to live fulfilled lives.

“The results support what we heard about donanemab back in May – that the drug is able to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by more than 20 per cent.”

Dr Oakley said “diagnosis will be key” to accessing new treatments, adding: “We can’t have a situation where treatments are approved for use in the UK, but people aren’t diagnosed early or accurately enough to be eligible.

“We need early, and accurate, diagnoses available for everyone and the NHS ready to roll out treatments such as donanemab and lecanemab if and when they are approved in the UK.”

He added: “It’s also important to note that side effects did occur, although serious side effects only occurred in 1.6 per cent of people receiving the drug.

“Regulators will need to balance these side effects against the benefits of the drug.

“We should also note that the majority of people who took part in this trial were white – it’s crucial that in future trials we see more diversity to prove that new drug treatments have similar effects for everyone living with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Just as we’ve seen a transformation in cancer treatment in recent decades, we’re really hopeful we’re on the same path for dementia.”

Sir John Hardy, professor of neuroscience and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute, UCL, said the successful outcome of Eli Lilly’s anti-amyloid antibody donanemab was “great news for Alzheimer’s disease” and “confirms the positive and similar outcome” for Eisai’s lecanemab trial late last year.

“The results are very similar, and that in itself is reassuring,” he said.

“Disease progression is slowed about 30 per cent, but it too has occasionally serious complications which require monitoring.

“Scientists now need to work to understand what we need to do to stop the disease rather than just slow it, but the major immediate task will be to organise NHS Alzheimer provision to be able to use these therapies.”

Eli Lilly and Company said some people taking the drug would be able to finish the course of treatment in six months once their amyloid plaque cleared.

It said treatment with donanemab reduced amyloid plaque on average by 84 per cent at 18 months, compared with a 1 per cent decrease for participants on placebo.

Some 47 per cent of people taking the drug who had early-stage disease and low or medium levels of tau were found to stall the disease for a year.

Dr Mark Mintun, group vice-president of neuroscience research and development at Lilly and president of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, said: "People living with early, symptomatic Alzheimer's disease are still working, enjoying trips, sharing quality time with family – they want to feel like themselves, for longer.

"The results of this study reinforce the importance of diagnosing and treating disease sooner than we do today."

The company said it was ready to work with health regulators in the UK as well as the NHS and Government on the "appropriate regulatory next steps".

Dr Sonya Miller, the head of medical affairs at TauRx, said their new medicine aimed to extend patients’ lives and, crucially, their quality of life.

“It's been a 20-year process since the last medications were actually approved and they were symptomatic – they didn't attack the disease pathology itself, they just gave slight symptomatic relief,” said Dr Miller, referring to the class of drugs still used to treat Alzhemier’s symptoms today.