NEW HOPE for ALZHEIMER'S
Newsweek US|October 20, 2023
Recent advances and promising new drugs mean doctors may soon be able to stave off the worst effects of the disease
ADAM PIORE
NEW HOPE for ALZHEIMER'S

FOR YEARS, ALZHEIMER'S CONFERENCES WERE like the obituary pages in the local newspaper: It's where clinicians and researchers in the field went to find out the names of the latest promising drugs to die. Between 1998 and 2017 alone, 146 clinical trials of new Alzheimer's drugs failed.

So when Randall Bateman showed up outside a restaurant in Bar Harbor, Maine, one evening in the fall of 2022 during an industry confab and announced to a couple of tables full of his colleagues drinking on the patio that he had something important to share with them, no one was prepared for what came next.

Bateman, a neurologist and Alzheimer's researcher at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, told them he had just received a phone call from his contact at the drug company running the trials of lecanemab, an experimental drug designed to facilitate the removal of the toxic plaques in the brain associated with the disease. The results, set for public release the following morning, were in: In a study of 1,800 Alzheimer's patients over 18 months, the treatment had reduced the rate of cognitive decline by close to 30 percent.

There was a stunned silence and some skeptical questions. Then the table erupted in applause.

"It's all anybody talked about for the rest of the meeting," says Bateman. "The agenda was blown. Nobody was paying attention to what we should have been doing. It's reenergized, recharged, everything."

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEWSWEEK USView all
John David Washington
Newsweek US

John David Washington

FOR JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON, BRINGING NETFLIX'S THE PIANO LESSON (November 22) from stage to screen was a family affair.

time-read
1 min  |
December 06-13, 2024
A Walk in the Parks
Newsweek US

A Walk in the Parks

Jim O'Heir shares his memories of the hit NBC mockumentary and its cast's hopes of a reunion

time-read
4 mins  |
December 06-13, 2024
Philomena Cunk
Newsweek US

Philomena Cunk

PHILOMENA CUNK IS JUST AS SURPRISED AS anyone else at her own popularity.

time-read
1 min  |
December 06-13, 2024
SOLVING THE PLASTIC PROBLEM
Newsweek US

SOLVING THE PLASTIC PROBLEM

PLASTIC WASTE IS HARMING ANIMALS AND OUR PLANET. CAN THE DAMAGE BE UNDONE?

time-read
10 mins  |
December 06-13, 2024
'I Was Struck by How Humbled and Insignificant I Felt'
Newsweek US

'I Was Struck by How Humbled and Insignificant I Felt'

An explorer says coming face-to-face in the wild with a grizzly and her cubs changed his perspective on life

time-read
4 mins  |
December 06-13, 2024
Has AI Turned On Health Care?
Newsweek US

Has AI Turned On Health Care?

Hospitals hoped artificial intelligence would lighten their staff's workload, but the same tech could be to blame as insurance firms increasingly deny Medicare Advantage claims

time-read
7 mins  |
December 06-13, 2024
The Next Phase of War
Newsweek US

The Next Phase of War

After thousands of elite soldiers from North Korea joined Vladimir Putin’s forces against Ukraine, how has this latest move affected the conflict?

time-read
6 mins  |
November 29, 2024
Saying No to Trump and Men
Newsweek US

Saying No to Trump and Men

The election has led some women to boycott relationships and sex

time-read
7 mins  |
November 29, 2024
My Fight for Equality and Justice
Newsweek US

My Fight for Equality and Justice

It will take more than just science to end AIDS. Inclusion, empathy and compassion are essential, too

time-read
3 mins  |
November 29, 2024
NEW WORLD ORDER
Newsweek US

NEW WORLD ORDER

HOW LEADERS ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE REACTING TO DONALD TRUMP'S REELECTION AS U.S. PRESIDENT

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 29, 2024