Can we prevent Alzheimer's?

What I'm reading: Can We Prevent Alzheimer's?, which ran as the cover story in last week's issue of Newsweek. The answer, in short, is maybe.

What's the news: As you've probably heard, this past year has been a bit of a revolution in the field of Alzheimer's research. After many decades of failed attempts to create an anti-Alzheimer's drug, we now have two such drugs, lecanemab and donanemab, that have been approved by the FDA in the past year (and one more, blarcamesine, that might be approved soon).

Neither lecanemab nor donanemab cure Alzheimer's. However, they do slow the disease down. That might not sound too exciting, but it's part of a new anti-Alzheimer's approach that has experts saying the current situation is a game-changer.

A one-two punch against Alzheimer's: Along with new drugs, scientists have been inventing diagnostic blood tests to identify early stages of Alzheimer's as much as 10 years before any clinical symptoms become apparent.

The hope is that by combining such early detection with the currently available drugs, we might soon see Alzheimer's transform from a nasty and terminal disease into a condition that can be managed and postponed indefinitely.

Yes, but: There's no guarantee that early intervention with these drugs will work. What's more, some scientists are concerned about the side effects of the two drugs, which include brain bleeding and swelling.

At the same time, other scientists say that's precisely the reason to start early, since such side effects are a consequence of an advanced stage of the disease and would be less likely in patients who are treated earlier on.

So what's next: Two large clinical trials, one with lecanemab and one with donanemab, are rolling out right now to test this approach in very early-stage Alzheimer's patients.

Whether or not either of these specific trials delivers, the consensus among Alzheimer's researchers is that the past year has been a revolution in the field. Exciting times are ahead in the fight against Alzheimer's and dementia. If you’d like to get excited also, the Newsweek article is worth a read.