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Source: The post is based on the article “The New Alzheimer’s Drug” published in The Hindu on 16th May 2023
What is the News?
A second drug named “Donanemab” has been found effective in checking cognitive decline in people with early Alzheimer’s disease.
What is Alzheimer Disease?
An estimate suggests that India’s burden of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s is a part, will increase to 14 million by 2050.
What is Donanemab?
Donanemab is a drug being developed to treat people with early Alzheimer’s disease.
The drug is being developed by the U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lill.
The drug works by targeting a common hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain: amyloid plaques.
Note: Beta-amyloid is a protein which plays an important role in brain function for everyone. But in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, beta-amyloid turns toxic – clumping together and disrupting the connection between brain cells and their function. This leads to cognitive issues such as memory loss.
Significance: Donanemab has been found to slow down cognitive decline by 35% when compared with a placebo in a phase III trial.
– This is the second drug, within a span of one year, that has been found to be effective in checking cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
– However, it is important to note that the two drugs don’t stop or reverse Alzheimers.
