A major review of clinical trial data casts doubt on the effectiveness of Alzheimer’s drugs targeting amyloid buildup in the brain. The analysis, encompassing 17 trials, found no “meaningful effect” on cognitive decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia.
Researchers determined that improvements in cognition and dementia severity over 18 months were “trivial,” with functional ability showing only “small at best” gains. Despite successfully removing amyloid protein, the drugs did not demonstrably improve cognitive function or slow its decline.
The review suggests limited clinical benefit from this class of drugs, prompting questions about medications developed by companies like Eli Lilly & Co. and Eisai Co. However, some Alzheimer’s experts have criticized the analysis, arguing it inappropriately combined unsuccessful drugs with recently approved treatments.
One expert strongly dismissed the research, calling it unsuitable for publication.