Thanks to Clinical Trials, This Drug Has Been Approved for Alzheimer’s

(HealthDay News) — A new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. In clinical trials, donanemab (Kisunla) modestly slowed the pace of thinking declines among patients in the early stages of the memory-robbing disease. But it also carried significant safety risks, including swelling and bleeding in the brain. “Kisunla demonstrated very meaningful results for people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, who urgently need effective treatment options. We know these medicines have the greatest potential benefit when people are treated earlier in their disease, and we are working hard in partnership with others to improve detection and diagnosis,” Anne White, executive vice president and president of Lilly Neuroscience, said in a company news release announcing the approval. “Each year, more and more people are at risk for this disease, and we are determined to make life better for them.” Alzheimer’s advocates applauded the approval. What does this drug approval mean for Black people with Alzheimer’s? “This approval marks another step forward in evolving the standard of care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease that will ultimately include an arsenal of novel treatments, providing much needed hope to the Alzheimer’s community,” Dr. Howard...