Drug reduces problematic Alzheimer's-linked proteins in the brain

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-09-13 01:00

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A US study of 257 people in the early stages of Alzheimer's found donanemab can reduce levels of beta-amyloid - a protein that is found clumped together in Alzheimer's brains - and also reduces the build-up of another problematic protein thought to be linked to the disease called tau. The drug also slowed cognitive decline, but only in some patients. The study was funded by the drug's manufacturer, Eli Lilly. The biggest reductions in beta-amyloid were seen in those who presented with the highest levels of the protein at the start of the study, although these were the patients least likely to clear the protein altogether. And those patients who cleared the most beta-amyloid also showed the slowest build-up of tau in their brains. Using computer simulation techniques, the scientists estimate that beta-amyloid levels should remain low for up to four years after stopping treatment with donanemab.