The US gives the green light to the use of a drug that slows down Alzheimer’s

The Food and Drug Administration of USA (FDA, in English) approved this Thursday for the first time the use of a drug that slows the symptoms of alzheimerafter verifying its effectiveness.

the drug lecanemabwhich will receive the trade name of Leqembi, was developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisaiand has shown to be effective in slowing down the effects of disease neurodegenerative.

The FDA had already granted the drug an accelerated approval last January, but there was still a final clinical trial to be carried out that has given satisfactory results.

“This confirmatory study verified that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said in a statement Teresa Buracchio, interim director of the Office of Neuroscience of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research from the FDA.

Alzheimer’s, which only in USA Affecting 6.5 million people, it is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease that slowly destroys memory and the ability to perform tasks.

According to the FDA, the latest study, conducted on 1,800 patients, demonstrated a “significant reduction” of cognitive decline.

The drug, which is administered intravenously, has raised concerns about the possibility that it causes inflammation and bleeding in the brain, a condition that occurs in some Alzheimer’s patients, known as ARIA.

The FDA admitted in its statement that leqembi it can cause side effects such as headache or even ARIA, which usually resolve over time but in rare cases can be fatal.

The regulator recommends against prescribing Leqembi in patients using anticoagulant medication, as it increases the risk of brain haemorrhages.

The drug should also be used in patients with mild cognitive impairment and in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the FDA stressed.

(With information from EFE)