Alzheimer’s drugs unlikely to benefit patients, says review

image_jungle/Getty Images

By Storm Newton PA Health Reporter and Lily Canter

‘Breakthrough’ Alzheimer's drugs “make no meaningful difference to patients” according to the latest Cochrane review.

The effects of the medicines on those with early-stage Alzheimer’s and dementia were “either absent or consistently small”, researchers said.

The drugs were also found to increase the risk of swelling and bleeding in the brain.

The comprehensive review looked at 17 studies involving 20,342 patients overall. Most had either mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which causes problems with thinking and memory, dementia, or both.

The studies included trials on lecanemab and donanemab, as well as aducanumab, which has been discontinued by its manufacturer, and bapineuzumab, crenezumab and solanezumab, which were discontinued after failed trials.

The analysis found that the effects of these drugs on cognitive function and dementia severity after 18 months was “trivial”.

Edo Richard, professor of neurology at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, said the differences made by the treatments were “far below the minimal effect that’s needed to be noticeable at all for patients and caregivers”.