The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug developed by Eli Lilly designed to treat early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s
The drug, named Kisunla, is intended for “patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease,” according to the FDA’s statement. The FDA highlighted that “patients treated with Kisunla demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in clinical decline,” along with meeting a range of other criteria.
Kisunla, the brand name for donanemab-azbt, is among a limited number of drugs approved by the US regulator to address Alzheimer’s disease, which currently impacts over 6.5 million Americans.
Promising results and early intervention
“Kisunla demonstrated very meaningful results for people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease,” said Anne White, Eli Lilly’s executive vice president, in a statement from the pharmaceutical company. White emphasized the importance of early treatment, stating, “We know these medicines have the greatest potential benefit when people are treated earlier in their disease, and we are working hard in partnership with others to improve detection and diagnosis.”
Positive reception from the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer’s Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating the disease, welcomed the FDA’s decision. “This is real progress,” said Joanne Pike, the association’s president. “Today’s approval allows people more options and greater opportunity to have more time.” Pike underscored the importance of having multiple treatment options, calling it “the kind of advancement we’ve all been waiting for — all of us who have been touched, even blindsided, by this difficult and devastating disease.”