Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WashU Medicine) researchers are educating patients on Food and Drug Administration approved Alzheimer’s medications in a way that is understandable to them.
According to WashU Medicine’s press release, “the researchers calculated how many months of independent living an Alzheimer’s patient could expect to gain by undergoing treatment.” Results depended on disease severity and the type of medication.
Both drugs studied, lecanemab and donanemab, are proven to delay Alzheimer’s advancement, but not prevent it. The researchers found that it was important to most of their patients to live independently longer.
282 cases were studied. All patients had never received lecanemab or donanemab. The scientists figured out how long individuals at various disease levels could be independent with and without treatment. Participants that experienced “very mild symptoms” could generally care for themselves for 29 additional months without being treated and “39 months with lecanemab, and 37 months with donanemab.”
WashU Medicine said people who defined their symptoms as mild “were already unable to live independently at baseline” and “could expect to manage self-care independently for an additional 26 months if treated with lecanemab,19 months with donanemab.”
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions.
