LAHORE MIRROR (Reuters) — An experimental drug from Eli Lilly (LLY.N) works best if Alzheimer’s patients are treated as early as possible, ideally before they develop symptoms of the brain-wasting disease, researchers said on Monday, in the latest promising development for treating the most common form of dementia.
The drug, donanemab, has been shown to slow progression of memory and thinking problems by about a third, but that rate doubles to 60% if the drug is started when patients are only mildly impaired, according to new trial data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam.
The full analysis from the study involving more than 1,700 patients showed that results were less robust for older, later-stage patients as well as those with higher levels of a protein called tau that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease progression.
The findings underscore that “earlier detection and diagnosis can really change the trajectory of this disease,” said Anne White, president of neuroscience at Lilly.
Lilly expects the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide by the end of this year whether to approve donanemab. It said submissions to other global regulators are underway, and most will be completed by year end.
Donanemab, like the recently approved Leqembi from Eisai (4523.T) and Biogen (BIIB.O), is an intravenous antibody designed to remove deposits of a protein called beta amyloid from the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Referring to Lilly’s data released on Monday, Dr. Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research & partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said, “These results provide further confirmation that removing amyloid from the brain can change the course of Alzheimer’s, and may help people affected by this devastating disease if they’re treated at the right time.”
