We’ve got the first Alzheimer’s drug in decades. But is it a breakthrough?

Aducanumab’s approval masks the fact that we’re still very far from sure what causes the most common form of dementia

In June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first Alzheimer’s drug in 18 years: aducanumab (also known by its brand name Aduhelm). At the time of writing, the drug is also under review in the EU, Japan and several other countries.

For the roughly 30 million people worldwide who live with Alzheimer’s, this is unprecedented news, and must seem like cause for optimism. Unlike existing drugs, which only feebly suppress cognitive symptoms, aducanumab attempts to get at the underlying cause of the disease, to stop and cure Alzheimer’s.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dkJDuw