A class of Alzheimer’s drugs that have only been available for several years did not appear to have any “clinically meaningful effects,” according to a new review of clinical trial data.
Monoclonal antibodies that target plaque called amyloid beta in the brain showed little impact across 17 trials, Francesco Nonino, a neurologist and epidemiologist who directs the Unit of Epidemiology and Statistics at the IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences of Bologna, Italy, and co-authors wrote in the review.
“The effect of amyloid‐beta‐targeting monoclonal antibodies on cognitive function and dementia severity at 18 months in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease is trivial, while on functional ability, it is small at best,” they said.
“Successful removal of amyloid from the brain does not seem to be associated with clinically meaningful effects in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. Future research on disease‐modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease should focus on other mechanisms of action,” they added later.
The review covered 17 studies involving 20,342 participants. The drugs were typically compared with placebos in the trials, which were all funded by pharmaceutical companies.
The monoclonal antibodies in question were first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021. They include Lecanemab, which is available in the United States and other countries and is produced by Eisai and Biogen, and Eli Lilly’s Donanemab.
Hellbound and Down 