Japanese drugmaker Eisai and US-based Biogen have been working together on advancing research in the space of Alzheimer’s for nearly a decade. Finally, the FDA, granted the fruits of that labor, Leqembi, its blessing for intravenous use. This marks the first approved treatment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
We are starting to see the first drugs on the market that utilize the amyloid beta pathway in some fashion because research in the 90’s and 2000’s were absolutely convinced that this pathway was the lynchpin to the disease. My understanding of the disease (I studied biotech but not Alzheimer’s specifically) is that amyloid beta plaques are more of a side effect of whatever is really going on than the main show. And unfortunately the mechanism of dementia in general is not really well understood, Alzheimer’s included.
These sobering results are not really that surprising because treating the amyloid beta plaques after they have formed is sort of like trying to prevent spoiled meat by removing the maggots that have accumulated on it.