New Alzheimer's drug approved in Australia
Kimberley Price: It starts with forgotten names and missed appointments, but eventually takes away your ability to carry out even simple tasks. More than 400,000 Australians live with dementia, with Alzheimer's disease the most common type. For two decades, there has been little progress in treating it. But today, a new drug has arrived which may change that.
Michael Woodward: This is a significant breakthrough. It's the first time we have a disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer's disease.
Kimberley Price: That's Associate Professor Michael Woodward, head of dementia research at the Memory Clinic at Austin Health in Melbourne. The drug he's talking about is Denanimab, a medicine which clears away amyloid plaques, the molecules which are believed to cause the symptoms of Alzheimer's.
Michael Woodward: So it means that people will deteriorate more slowly because the amyloid sets off a process that causes the symptoms of forgetfulness and loss of our ability to look after ourselves. So if we use this drug, particularly in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's disease, we can't completely cure the disease, but we can slow it down substantially.
Kimberley Price: Donanemab has some major limitations. It can cause swelling or bleeding in the brain, which can be life-threatening. And those taking the drug require regular MRI scans to monitor for side effects. It's also only approved for use in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's who are dealing with initial memory loss and mood changes.
Michael Woodward: It's not approved for moderate or severe dementia due to Alzheimer's disease because unfortunately by then the amyloid has done too much damage. We need to remove the amyloid and stop the other cascade of Alzheimer's pathology at an early stage if possible and that's where this drug has been approved.
Kimberley Price: Sydney-based geriatrician Professor Peter Gonski believes Donanemab needs to be used as part of a larger treatment plan.
Peter Gonski: We do have to see the patient as a person and we need to treat them looking at a whole lot of different strategies in trying to improve their lives and continue their good quality life as long as possible. And I think that this is a very important addition to our treatment plan.
Kimberley Price: And while the drug has limitations, Professor Gonski says it's an important new tool.
Peter Gonski: We have not really had medication development for 25 to 30 years and although we have had some medications that have slowed down the progression of the condition, sometimes even improved people in the early stages, they really haven't changed the actual underlying pathology that occurs in Alzheimer's disease. They've basically changed the chemicals in the brain.
Kimberley Price: While Donanemab has been approved by the TGA for use in Australia, it's currently not covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. While no price has been listed, in the US the drug costs the equivalent of $47,000 Australian dollars per year.
Andy Park: That report by Kimberley Price and Luke Radford.
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