Federal health authorities in the United States on Monday approved a controversial new drug against Alzheimer’s, the first drug to be approved to treat this disease in the last 20 years.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) despite the fact that an independent panel concluded in 2020 that there is insufficient evidence that the drug slows the progression of Alzheimer’s.
The pharmaceutical companies Biogen and Eisai developed the treatment, which is given intravenously, for patients with mild cognitive impairment, not for advanced dementia.
“Although the information on Aduhelm is complicated regarding its clinical benefits, the FDA has determined that there is sufficient evidence that Aduhelm reduces beta amyloid plaques in the brain, and that reduction may translate to significant benefits for its patients,” said the FDA in a statement.