Dementia drug hailed for slowing down Alzheimer’s by up to a THIRD may be unsafe for 9 out of 10 patients

• Lecanemab appears to delay brain degenerative state by a third
• But the drug has only been tested in otherwise healthy patients.

Studies suggest that one of the first Alzheimer’s drugs that could slow the disease’s progression should not be given to the majority of patients due to safety concerns.

Studies appear to show that the drug lecanemab can slow the degenerative state of the brain by a third. And last month, U.S. health regulators approved twice-monthly injections for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, meaning they are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

The NHS expenditure watchdog will begin evaluating the drug for use in the UK next month, hoping it could help one million people with Alzheimer’s disease in the UK.

But studies caution that there are no data showing the drug is safe for 9 out of 10 people with early Alzheimer’s disease. This is because the drug has only been tested on healthy patients.

Patients who wanted to participate in a clinical trial of lecanemab, conducted by Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, were barred if they had conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or a history of cancer.

A high rate of side effects occurred even though the participants were in good health. According to data released by Eisai, about 1 in 10 patients taking lecanemab experienced life-threatening brain swelling and 1 in 6 developed a cerebral hemorrhage. Three members of the 1,800-participating trial died from drug-related side effects.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, USA, looked at the health records of 237 older adults with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, 92% of whom would have been excluded from physical examinations. I discovered that I had an underlying health problem. Lecanemab trial.

Mayo Clinic epidemiologist and study author Dr. Maria Vassilaki said more research is needed to examine the safety and efficacy of lecanemab before offering it to “people with poor health.”