Alzheimer’s Treatment Showing New and Promising Results

After 16 very long years with no truly viable Alzheimer’s treatment, there’s some hope on the horizon, in a stunning reversal on the formerly-rejected antibody therapy, aducanumab. The latest research uncovers that large quantities of this medication do, in fact, decrease cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

According to Rebecca Edelmayer, director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association, “It could be a game-changer for the field. It could be one of the first disease-modifying therapies approved for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Biogen, the manufacturer of aducanumab, has found substantial benefits for dementia patients in a variety of areas: activities of day to day living, memory, language, and orientation. Biogen announced its plans to pursue regulatory approval in the U.S., with a long range goal of introducing the medication worldwide.

With an expected request for approval from the FDA as quickly as early 2020, the drug is slated to potentially become the first treatment method to actually lessen the clinical decline of Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, it will probably open doors to many other treatment options that affect amyloid beta plaques, joining other trials that target the immune system, inflammation, blood vessels, and synaptic cell health. As discovering the most beneficial treatments for the disease is a challenging endeavor, it is expected that an assortment of these treatments will be necessary, per Edelmayer.

The next challenge? Convincing the FDA to approve the medication after earlier unsuccessful trials. If approved, aducanumab will first be offered to people who had enrolled in earlier clinical trials, and hopefully, soon available to other people dealing with all the challenges of Alzheimer’s as well.

When it comes to the almost six million senior Americans battling Alzheimer’s (and that number is likely to more than double during the next three decades), and the family and friends who care for them, these most recent findings could very well be life-changing, as there are presently just minimally successful symptom-management medications available. While we wait for a treatment, our Newport Beach memory care experts at CareWorks Health Services are ready to help dementia patients through highly skilled, trained, and experienced caregivers who make the most of creative therapeutic approaches that center on each individual’s unique strengths and making certain each person is living to the fullest.

For more information on highly effective Alzheimer’s treatment and care that helps boost total wellbeing in the comfort of home, contact CareWorks Health Services at (949) 859-4700. We’re here to answer your questions about quality home health care in Mission Viejo, CA, and the surrounding Orange County communities.