In this article we are going to list the 5 dementia medications that are approved or in trial. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive list please take a look at the 10 dementia medications that are approved or in trial.
5. Aricept
Donepazil, sold under the brand name Aricept, is a medicine which used to treat specific types of dementia. In 2010, Eisai Inc. and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced the approval from FDA and is taken orally in tablet form for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease. Some of the side effects of the medicine include nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, not to mention anorexia potentially.
4. Remturnetug
Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY) maintains a heavy presence in our list with its entry in remturnetug. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a phase 3 trial is underway for the drug “to evaluate the safety and efficacy of remternetug in participants with early symptomatic AD. Initially, 600 participants will enrollin the double-blind treatment period. Participants in the double-blind treatment period will receive remternetug or placebo administered via subcutaneous injection or intravenous infusion. Following the 52-week main study period, participants will continue participation for up to an additional 52 weeks in an extension period. Participants who previously received remternetug will receive placebo and participants who previously received placebo will receive remternetug. Thus, all participants will receive remternetug if they complete the study. An additional 640 participants with early Alzheimer’s disease will be enrolled to an addendum safety cohort. The participants will be administered open label remternetug via subcutaneous injection or intravenous infusion. Participants enrolled into the addendum safety cohort are not eligible for the extension period.”
3. Aduhelm
Aduhelm is the brand name of Aducanumab is one of the dementia medications that are approved or in trial, specifically in the treatment of Alzheimer disease. Even though in 2022, Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB), the manufacturer of Aduhelm, withdrew its application to the European Medicines Agency, citing the belief that the data provided so far would not enable a positive opinion on marketing the drug. However, clinical trials are still continuing and there is expected to the patients on clinical trial.
2. Donanemab
Donanemab is manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY), which was recently in the news for significantly reducing the price of insulin, thereby providing to relief to millions of people in the U.S. According to a phase 3 study of the drug “Nearly half (47%) of the participants on donanemab (compared to 29% on placebo) had no clinical progression at 1 year (defined as no decline in CDR-SB) Phase 3 trial met primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints measuring cognitive and functional decline Donanemab treatment slowed clinical decline by 35% compared to placebo, and resulted in 40% less decline on the ability to perform activities of daily living. Over half of all participants completed their course of treatment by 12 months”. While still in trial, the drug seems to be very promising and could drastically improve the lives of those living with dementia.
1. Leqembi
Topping the list of 10 dementia medications that are approved or in clinical trials, is Leqembi, which is manufactured and sold by Eisai and BioArctic. It is one of the most promising drugs for dementia currently and was only given approval by the FDA in January 2023. According to the press release by the FDA “Alzheimer’s disease immeasurably incapacitates the lives of those who suffer from it and has devastating effects on their loved ones,” said Billy Dunn, M.D., director of the Office of Neuroscience in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “This treatment option is the latest therapy to target and affect the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s, instead of only treating the symptoms of the disease.” The drug obtained approval under the Accelerated Approval pathway, which is a process which can fast track drugs being manufactured for serious conditions where there is currently not an adequate solution.
According to Reuters, Leqembi’s coverage by Medicare is likely to cost the U.S. government around $5 billion every year, and recently, Health Canada also accepted a submission by the two pharma companies for Leqembi’s filing for review. There will be a further stringent review by the FDA on July 6 at which point the agency will take the decision on whether it wants to grant a full nod to the promising drug. The application is currently based on results from a phase 3 trial conducted globally, where its efficacy in reducing cognitive decline in Alzheimer patients was proven.
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