New Treatment Shows Promise for Early Alzheimer Patient

As the number of people with Alzheimers continues to increase, the search for a way to slow down the rise has begun to feel more urgent. In a New York Times article, published one month ago, titled “F.D.A. Approves New Treatment for Early Alzheimer’s”, Pam Belluck discusses the newest drug undergoing clinical trials that might slow the progression of the disease in its early stages. The production of the drug is shrouded in controversy related to the previous Alzheimer drug produced by the same company, Biogen. Belluck aims to inform readers of the hope they should have and cautions they should exert surrounding this breakthrough. Belluck is able to convey information of the new Alzheimer’s treatment while being objective in her writing and including research to support her main points. 

A new Alzheimer drug, Lecanemab with the market name Leqembi, may slow the progression of the disease in its earlier stages, but with an increased risk of brain swelling and brain bleeding. A trial determined that longer trials were needed in order to decide whether or not Leqembi is successful on people with early Alzheimer’s disease. The Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai that is developing the drug is working with the American company Biogen, who was responsible for a prior Alzheimer’s drug which sparked major controversy. The drug received wide criticism on the high cost as well the lack of evidence supporting the success rate of the drug itself. The process through which Aduhelm was approved revealed many inconsistencies and a deep involvement with Biogen. The backlash that Aduhelm received affected the production of Leqembi and caused the labels to be more specific in what they treat and how patients might be affected by the drug. During the Leqembi trials, several patients experienced brain swelling and bleeding and there was a suggestion that in one patient who died, the frug had weakened her blood vessels and made them susceptible to bursting. These side effects that the patients experienced were significantly less than patients on Aduhelm and despite a portion of the patients experiencing this brain swelling and bleeding, Leqembi was approved by the F.D.A.  

Throughout the article, Belluck plainly states the updates related to Leqembi and the past mistakes of Aduhelm. The tone in the article is consistently objective as she relays the information. Belluck includes several links to articles in order to support her writing and quotes from more than one credible source, such as neurologist Dr. Madhav Thambisetty and Dr. David Rind, a medical officer who examines the value of medicines. Belluck also includes the link to the study conducted on Lecanemab that determined that after an 18-month long trial, longer trials were needed in order to distinguish whether or not Lecanemab was safe or had any effect on early Alzheimer’s. Belluck’s intended audience would have been the readers of the New York Times, specifically those interested in any updates of treatments for Alzheimer’s, perhaps because they know someone affected by the disease.

As the research into Alzheimer’s treatments continues, the hope of slowing down this disease increases and so does our understanding of how the brain works. 

References

Belluck P 2023. F.D.A. Approves New Treatment for Early Alzheimer’s. New York Times