FDA approves Alzheimer’s drug

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A researcher works on the development of the medication Aduhelm in Cambridge, Mass. Associated Press/Biogen

The first medication for the debilitating disease to receive approval in almost two decades doesn’t come without controversy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease drug, marketed as Aduhelm, on Monday.

Why is it controversial? Research showed the treatment didn’t reverse the progression of the disease and only slowed patients’ cognitive decline slightly. Critics say that’s not enough evidence to bring the drug to market, especially given its price tag of up to $50,000 a year. FDA regulators admitted “residual uncertainties” surround the drug but said it was “reasonably likely” to benefit patients with Alzheimer’s. The medicine targets harmful clumps of plaque in the brain that are thought to play a role in the disease. But doctors still don’t know what causes Alzheimer’s to develop.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings about researchers experimenting with ultrasound to treat Alzheimer’s.

Leigh Jones

Leigh is features editor for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate who spent six years as a newspaper reporter in Texas before joining WORLD News Group. Leigh also co-wrote Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope, and Resurrection in the Face of One of America's Largest Hurricanes. She resides with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas.