‘Wonder drug’ could delay Alzheimer’s symptoms for three years
A pioneering Alzheimer’s drug could halt the disease’s devastating symptoms for up to three years, according to promising new research.
Donanemab not only delays memory and thinking problems but also slows brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s, raising new hope for patients and their families, scientists say.
The treatment, given by intravenous infusion, was licensed for use in the UK in 2024 but has not yet been made available on the NHS after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided its benefits did not justify the cost.
The latest findings, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London, followed nearly 1,200 people with early Alzheimer’s disease, roughly half of whom received donanemab for 18 months.
Using standard dementia tests, the researchers compared them with similar patients who had not received the drug.
After 18 months, patients treated with donanemab showed significantly less impairment in memory and thinking. After three years, the difference between the two groups doubled, indicating that the benefits persisted even after treatment ended.
The team also found that the drug significantly reduced levels of amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, by about 90 percent in people with mild cognitive impairment. Blood tests also showed a significant decrease in p-tau217, a marker linked to the harmful tau protein associated with the disease.
Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This reinforces growing evidence that the drugs donanemab and lecanemab, currently licensed in the UK, can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in the long term and provide greater benefit when started early in the disease.”
Despite the encouraging results, concerns remain about the safety of the treatment.
In previous trials, donanemab was linked to brain swelling and bleeding, and three deaths were reported among participants. The death rate was less than two per thousand people treated.
Alzheimer Association Research and Innovation Deputy Director Dr. Richard Oakley said: “Donanemab is the second treatment approved in the UK to tackle the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease but is not yet available through the NHS.
“Over time, as evidence increases, new safety findings and delivery methods may be the basis for future hope.
“But the reality is that even if donanemab were to become available on the NHS tomorrow, our healthcare system is not ready to deliver it.”
Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia, the most common form of Alzheimer’s, and this figure is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
