Do Alzheimer’s drugs shrink patients’ brains?
Experts have warned against “Alzheimer’s” medications, which have been described as “miracle” because they cause shrinkage in patients’ brains. Last year, the first drug to reduce the progression of Alzheimer’s disease was approved in the United States.
The results of the trial “at the time” showed that the drug “lecanemab”, also known as “Leqembi”, slowed the cognitive and functional deterioration in early-stage Alzheimer’s patients by 27 percent over a period of 18 months, which is equivalent to slowing the progression of the disease for 5 months.
Scientists have also proposed another drug called Donanemab, with the hope of approving it in the United States and the United Kingdom soon, as it has also been proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 35 percent, according to the British Daily Mail.
But experts have warned that people taking these drugs are actually suffering from shrinkage of their brains.
Rob Howard, professor of elderly psychiatry at University College London, said he believed the benefits of taking “miracle” drugs were too small to be noticed by the patient or doctor.
He added: “The brains of patients who took these drugs shrink faster than people receiving placebo.” We have always considered loss of brain volume to be a very bad thing. “My long-term concern is that the brains of people who might see small benefits over 18 months are shrinking, so what will happen to them in three years, five years, and eight years?”
Howard previously explained that he does not want to give the drug “lecanemab” to any of his patients or family members with Alzheimer’s disease.
He continued: “Doctors, patients and families will need to weigh the risks of serious harm and even death against the small potential benefits of treatment.”
Madhav Thambisetty, a senior clinical researcher at the National Institute on Aging in the US, shared his concerns, saying: “The combination of drugs as a whole shows a loss of brain volume and an increase in fluid-filled spaces in the brain.”
He added that “significant” gaps in reporting trial data could cause “permanent harm” to patients.
He said: “As a practicing physician who has been caring for Alzheimer’s patients for more than two decades, it is important for me to present all the benefits and risks associated with any new drug completely and without bias. “Although the modest benefit of lecanemab in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease has been highlighted, there has been little interest in the drug’s common side effects, including brain swelling and bleeding.”
