WSOCTV.com News Staff
Earlier this month, UNC Health Pardee became the first Western North Carolina hospital to administer a dose of a promising new Alzheimer’s drug, according to our news partners at WLOS in Asheville.
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The new drug is called Lecanemab and works by targeting amyloid proteins for removal, WLOS says. By reducing the number of proteins, doctors can slow memory and thinking deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s disease, according to Dr. Joel Callahan, neurologist and chief of staff at UNC Health Pardee.
“This is not a cure for Alzheimer’s disease,” Callahan told WLOS. “This is not even anything that stops it in its’ tracks; this is just meant to slow down the progression, but it’s the first time we’ve had our foot in the door to offer something that changes the pathology—the actual changes in the brain that are responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. And so for that reason, it’s exciting, it’s a game-changer, and it’s a reason for hope.”
An 81-year-old woman from Hendersonville, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, was given the first dose of Lacenemab by Callahan. The doctor says the patient had a minor headache but was optimistic about the drug’s positive impacts.
WLOS reports that several patients are close to beginning the new treatment.
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“What we hope to see is that it changes the trajectory of these patients throughout, not just in the immediate future and first couple of years, but in the length of the disease, which is a 10–20-year course,” Callahan told WLOS.
Lacenemab was fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in July. The infusion-style treatment is made for patients with early or mild memory issues connected to Alzheimer’s.
The infusion is given every two weeks and lasts about an hour before a brief monitoring period, WLOS reports. Some side effects from the treatment include headaches, fevers, and chills in about 25% of patients. According to Callahan, after several treatments, the risk of side effects goes down.
Due to the nature of the drug, patients will face several restrictions, including not being allowed to have an MRI or be placed on blood thinners, according to WLOS.
“These new medicines really target those proteins and those changes that take place in the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient,” Callahan said.
The total cost of treatment is about $32,000 a year, and in certain cases, it is covered by Medicare, WLOS says.
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