After decades of failed research, new treatments and a simple blood test are giving Alzheimer’s patients hope.
Two drugs, Eli Lilly’s donanemab and Biogen-Eisai’s lecanemab, can slow the disease in early-stage patients. However, they work only modestly, are expensive, and can cause serious side effects, including brain bleeding. This has led to debates about whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Lecanemab is approved in the US, but France and the UK have advised against funding it through public health systems.
Early diagnosis is also changing. A new blood test can detect Alzheimer’s markers without invasive procedures. The US allows the test, but Europe still requires full clinical exams. Experts caution that abnormal markers don’t always lead to dementia, and early detection may help maximize the impact of the drugs.
Prevention remains a focus. Nearly half of Alzheimer’s cases link to obesity, smoking, alcohol, inactivity, and hearing loss. Healthy lifestyle programs show only small improvements so far, but researchers believe long-term trials may reveal bigger effects.
For patients and families, even small progress feels huge compared to past decades. New drugs, blood tests, and lifestyle studies together offer cautious optimism in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
