Antibody drug slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease

The US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced that an application for approval of donanemab must be submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the end of this quarter. Experts spoke of “real progress”, but also warned of side effects.

The antibody donanemab targets amyloid plaques in the patient’s brain. Such deposits of proteins in the brain years before the onset of symptoms are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.

In a so-called 18-month phase III study involving more than 1,700 participants, people who received donanemab showed about 35 percent less cognitive impairment than those who received a dummy drug, according to the company.

The drug Leqembi, which takes a similar approach, was approved in the US in January. It was developed by the American company Biogen together with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and contains the antibody lecanemab. However, both drugs have been widely criticized for side effects such as brain swelling and bleeding.

The study results on donanemab are “real progress for patients,” said Frank Jessen, director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital in Cologne, the German news agency. The effect of donanemab and lecanemab is basically comparable. “For a precise comparison, you should see the research data and hopefully also gain comparative experience with these substances in Germany in the future.”

Donanemab is “unfortunately not a game changer, but it could be another step in the right direction,” said Linda Thienpont, Head of Science at the Alzheimer’s Research Initiative. “It can’t cure or stop Alzheimer’s disease, but like lecanemab, it can at least slow cognitive decline.” However, Thienpont once again emphasized the sometimes serious side effects that the effect was “dearly bought”. (sda/dpa)