A recent study in Neurology has shed light on the eligibility of older adults with early-stage Alzheimer’s to receive groundbreaking monoclonal antibody treatments.
These treatments target specific brain plaques associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s. But do the majority of patients qualify for them?
What are these New Treatments?
Monoclonal antibodies, namely lecanemab and aducanumab, are new players in the Alzheimer’s treatment arena. They focus on amyloid-ß plaques in the brain, which are early signs of Alzheimer’s.
The FDA has shown green lights to these drugs, with lecanemab getting a traditional nod after it was found to slow the disease’s progression.
However, Dr. Maria Vassilaki from the Mayo Clinic points out that these drugs’ trials have largely been on patients in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s.
This limits our understanding of their effects on a broader range of patients.
How Many Actually Qualify?
The study covered 237 individuals between 50 and 90 years old, all of whom had mild cognitive issues or mild dementia tied to Alzheimer’s.
Their brain scans also showed an increased presence of the targeted amyloid-ß plaques.
When the researchers checked these participants against the clinical trial eligibility criteria for both drugs, the numbers were sobering:
For lecanemab, only 47% initially met the criteria. After excluding those with various health conditions and brain abnormalities, a mere 8% remained eligible.
The aducanumab trial showed similar results. Initially, 44% matched the criteria, but after applying exclusions, only 5% remained eligible.
However, slight modifications to these criteria, like including all with mild cognitive impairment, slightly increased eligibility, reaching up to 17%.
Representation Matters
Dr. Vassilaki also raised concerns about the representation in these trials. Predominantly, participants have been white, overlooking Black and Hispanic populations who might be more susceptible to Alzheimer’s or other dementias.
There’s a pressing need for these trials to be more inclusive, reflecting the broader community’s diversity.
Key Takeaways
The research’s findings are clear: while these new treatments hold promise, many in the early stages of Alzheimer’s might not qualify due to various health conditions or brain irregularities.
Moreover, clinical trial participants, in general, tend to be healthier than the broader population.
Thus, Dr. Vassilaki believes we need more studies, especially on more diverse and less healthy populations, to truly determine these treatments’ wider applicability.
In conclusion, while advancements like monoclonal antibodies offer hope, it’s crucial to understand their broader implications and limitations.
Only through more comprehensive research can we ensure the best treatments are available to all Alzheimer’s patients.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about low choline intake linked to higher dementia risk, and how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability.
For more information about dementia, please see recent studies that common antibiotic drugs may treat frontotemporal dementia, and results showing these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
The study was published in Neurology.
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