What do we know about the new drug for early-stage Alzheimer's disease?

About a month ago, Lecanemab began to make headlines as a promising new drug for people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Here is all you need to know about this breakthrough Alzheimer's drug.

Lecanemab (also known as BAN2401) is a disease modifying immunotherapy drug that targets a protein called amyloid beta – a harmful protein mostly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients – helping to remove the protein in the early stages of the disease to lower its impact. Immunotherapies are already used in medicine, for example in the treatment of some cancers.

More specifically, Lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody medication that is administered intravenously to patients.

What is the latest news on Lecanemab?

On November 29, 2022, at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) conference in San Francisco, Eisai—the manufacturer of lecanemab—released the complete findings of the drug's phase 3 clinical trial, known as Clarity-AD.

The Clarity-AD trial involved 1,795 people living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease who have amyloid protein build ups in their brains . Half the participants were given lecanemab and half received a dummy drug for over 18 months.

The trial showed that lecanemab slowed down the speed at which memory and thinking skills got worse by 27% in people taking the drug compared to people on the dummy drug.

Researchers estimate over 18 months the drug may slow the progression of the condition by about 7 months. The research team also found that the drug slowed the decline in quality of life by up to 56%.

Importantly, the drug reduced the amount of amyloid protein present in the brain. Amyloid protein levels were also reduced in the blood and spinal fluid.

The U.S. FDA gave lecanemab expedited approval on January 6th, 2023.

Lecanemab therapy may be advantageous for whom?

Lecanemab is a treatment for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease who have amyloid beta proteins in their brain. This means people with other types of dementia, or in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, are unlikely to benefit from this drug. 

Does Lecanemab have any negative effects?

Like all medications, lecanemab was found to have some side effects. 

During the clinical trial, some people taking lecanemab had adverse responses to the drug's infusion, while some others were found to have swelling or microbleeds in the brain in response to lecanemab  – known as Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities or ARIA.

The majority of ARIA sufferers had no symptoms, and only MRI brain scanning could reveal these abnormalities in the brain.