Context:
Recently, The Food and Drug Administration approved a new Alzheimer’s drug that may modestly slow the pace of cognitive decline early in the disease but also carries risks of swelling and bleeding in the brain.
Relevance:
GS III- Science and technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- About the drug lecanemab
- Alzheimer’s Disease
About the drug lecanemab
- The approval of the drug, lecanemab, to be marketed as Leqembi, is likely to generate considerable interest from patients and physicians.
- The approval of the drug, lecanemab, to be marketed as Leqembi, is likely to generate considerable interest from patients and physicians.
- Studies of the drug — an intravenous infusion administered every two weeks — suggest it is more promising than the scant number of other treatments available.
- Still, several Alzheimer’s experts said it was unclear from the medical evidence whether Leqembi could slow cognitive decline enough to be noticeable to patients.
Alzheimer’s Disease
- Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gradually worsens over time.
- It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia.
- The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events.
- The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is poorly understood, about 70% of the risk is believed to be inherited from a person’s parents, with many genes usually involved.
- Other risk factors include a history of head injuries, depression, and hypertension.
- No treatments stop or reverse its progression, though some may temporarily improve symptoms.
-Source: Indian Express
