“Eli Lilly’s Donanemab Shows Promise in Slowing Alzheimer’s Decline”

A treatment by Eli Lilly has been shown in a large-scale clinical trial to slow cognitive decline linked to Alzheimer’s disease, this American pharmaceutical group announced on Wednesday.

These results were enthusiastically welcomed by experts, who hailed the entry into a “new era” in the management of Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to several recent breakthroughs.

The clinical trial, which included 1,200 participants who had not yet reached advanced disease, showed a 35% reduction in cognitive decline in patients treated with donanemab, according to a company statement.

Eli Lilly plans to file for FDA approval this quarter, and worldwide “as quickly as possible.”

However, the treatment can cause serious side effects, such as edema or cerebral hemorrhage. Three clinical trial participants died.

The clinical trial also measured the ability to perform everyday tasks, such as driving, conversing, having hobbies or managing finances. Over 18 months, participants who received the treatment showed a 40% reduction in decline in their ability to perform these tasks.

“These results confirm that we are entering the era of Alzheimer’s treatment,” said Catherine Mummery, from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.

It will now be possible “to realistically hope to be able to treat and stabilize a person with Alzheimer’s disease, with long-term management, rather than palliative and supportive care”, she added.

Research in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease has stagnated for decades.

But two new treatments, developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical companies Eisai and the American Biogen, have recently been approved in the United States: Leqembi (whose active ingredient is called lecanemab), and Aduhelm (aducanumab molecule).

If the authorization of Aduhelm was controversial, some experts pointing to the lack of evidence on its effectiveness, lecanemab was the first to demonstrate a reduction in cognitive decline (by 27%) in the context of a clinical trial.

Eli Lilly’s treatment, if “approved alongside lecanemab”, could “offer a choice of treatments for patients”, said Liz Coulthard, of the University of Bristol.

Alzheimer’s disease affects tens of millions of people worldwide.