Are the new medicines ineffective?

The two current drugs are based on antibodies targeting amyloid-beta. These are Kisunla (donanemab) and Leqembi (lecanemab). There has been strong criticism against these two: they are expensive, they are dangerous, and their effect is questionable. They unequivocally clear plaques from the brain, but the question is whether that is sufficient to achieve the desired result.

"From a patient perspective, the new Alzheimer's drugs are practically meaningless. The clinical effect is negligible, while there is an increased risk of serious side effects." This is stated by doctors and researchers in a so-called Cochrane report, which Dagens Nyheter (DN) has reviewed.

Cochrane is an international organization of doctors and researchers who conduct systematic and independent investigations of new medical treatment methods based on previously conducted studies. The idea is that these surveys should be the "gold standard," writes DN.

The current survey included 17 clinical investigations with data from a total of 20,342 patients.

I asked ChatGPT for a comment and received the following response:

"The report has received strong criticism from several leading Alzheimer's researchers. The most important objection is that Cochrane combined many older, failed antibodies with the two newer ones that have actually shown an effect. Critics therefore believe that the conclusion is more negative than if the modern drugs were analyzed separately."

The debate illustrates a deep disagreement in the Alzheimer's field:

Are the new antibodies a first real breakthrough – or just a very small step forward?

References:

Dagens Nyheter E-DN at 05:58 April 16.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD016297