Latest news with #cognitiveDecline
Reuters
30-07-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Patients still benefit from Eisai and Biogen Alzheimer's drug after four years, study finds
July 30 (Reuters) - Eisai (4523.T), opens new tab and Biogen's (BIIB.O), opens new tab Alzheimer's drug Leqembi continued to slow progress of the disease with no new safety issues four years into treatment, according to new data presented at a medical meeting on Wednesday. An injectable version of the drug, currently given by intravenous infusion, is under U.S. regulatory review. The best results were seen in people who started treatment while in the earliest stages of the brain-wasting disease. In a pivotal trial of patients with early-stage Alzheimer's, Leqembi was shown to slow cognitive decline by 27% compared to a placebo after 18 months - data that supported the drug's U.S. approval in 2023. The companies continued to follow about 95% of patients enrolled in that trial. The latest results show that after four years, Leqembi slowed cognitive decline by 34% compared to what would be expected in similar patients who did not receive treatment. Leqembi targets protofibrils - toxic building blocks that eventually form clumps in the brain known as amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. There were no new safety findings over the four-year period. Brain swelling and bleeding associated with drugs that work by removing amyloid plaque from the brain largely occurred within the first six months of treatment, according to data presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. More than 50% of patients who started treatment in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's continued to show improvement in clinical scores after four years on Leqembi. Eisai is conducting a separate study of Leqembi in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's patients that is due to conclude in late 2027. Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab is also studying its Alzheimer's drug Kisunla in people who have detectable disease pathology, but show no noticeable cognitive decline. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where recent job cuts have raised questions about review times, is slated to decide by August 31 whether to approve an injectable version of Leqembi that could be given to patients at home or at medical facilities. Lynn Kramer, Eisai's chief clinical officer, said interactions with the FDA "have been right on schedule. They have been communicating with us all the time in an expected manner." He said the new formulation "will be very helpful to starting new patients" on the drug, which is continuing to see "escalating usage." Eisai will report its latest quarterly results next week, while Biogen will report results on Thursday.
Daily Mail
29-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease linked to another neurological condition suffered by 8million Americans
People with autism are at a significantly greater risk of developing memory-robbing dementia, experts warn. Researchers presenting at the world's largest dementia conference this week suggested rapidly surging autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could increase the risk of dementia, which affects 9million Americans. In one study of nearly 800,000 people, adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities were up to three times more likely to have signs of cognitive decline and dementia. And even autistic people under 50 were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than their neurotypical peers. Another unveiled study showed nearly one in three autistic adults exhibited at least two signs of cognitive decline, like forgetting a word or wandering at night. Experts in Pennsylvania and Washington DC suggested the increased risk could be due to higher rates of other conditions in people with autism, like depression and diabetes, which have been shown to cause damaging inflammation in the brain. Drugs that block neurotransmitters responsible for memory like bladder drugs and Benadryl may also be to blame, one of the studies suggested. The emerging research comes as one in 31 children in the US now have autism, a staggering increase from about one in 150 in the early 2000s. Experts suspect the surge is due to doctors getting better at detecting the disorder and increased awareness. However, health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr earlier this year announced a series of studies to hone in on 'environmental toxins' he believes are responsible, including pollution, ultra-processed foods and ultrasound scans. Dr Lindsay Shea, one of the study authors and director of the Policy and Analytics Center at Drexel University's AJ Drexel Autism Institute, said during a conference presentation: 'We see that autistic children have grown up to become mostly autistic adults and now older adults. 'The first generation of autistic adults are now in their 80s and 90s.' Dementia is also on the rise, with experts suspecting it could strike 14million Americans by 2060. In one study presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, researchers pulled Medicare and Medicaid claim data from 2017 to 2019 of nearly 800,000 Americans ages 30 and over. Participants were split into four groups: autism, autism plus intellectual disability (fetal alcohol syndrome, for example) or intellectual disability. There were 60,087 people in the autism group, 101,748 with both autism and intellectual disability and 632,607 with only an intellectual disability. They were then compared to about 760,000 adults in the general population. The researchers found 30 percent of adults over 65 with autism were diagnosed with dementia compared to 19 percent in the general population, a 45 percent increased risk. The difference was even greater for people with autism and intellectual disability, as 32 percent of this group developed dementia. Among 50- to 64-year-olds, eight percent of people with autism had dementia compared to five percent of the general population, a 46 percent difference. And people with autism and another intellectual disability were three times more likely to have dementia than neurotypical people. The team also found 1.1 percent of autistic individuals between ages 30 and 49 had dementia compared to 0.8 percent in the general population, a 31 percent difference. Dr Shea said: 'This data supports the idea of both early onset and higher prevalence rates of dementia in these populations.' Another study from George Washington University looked at two samples of 210 independent and 500 dependent autistic adults who reported signs of cognitive decline like trouble recalling tasks or words, impaired judgment or changes in behavior. Caregivers also noted their dependent loved ones wandered at night, avoided initiating conversation and lost track of time. Independent participants were between 42 and 81 years old with an average age of 54. Autistic adults dependent on a caregiver were 18 to 68 years old with an average age of About 30 percent of independent autistic people had two or more signs of cognitive decline while 10 percent of dependent adults had caregivers report at least one sign of impairment. The most common cognitive decline indicators were less interest in activities, everyday thinking problems and judgment issues. Dr Gregory Wallace, study author and associate professor at George Washington University, said: 'That's very high given the average age.' Dr Wallace believes certain medications could be to blame. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the study were taking anticholinergics, drugs that block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is crucial for muscle contractions, memory, learning and other functions. They're used to treat a variety of issues including urinary incontinence, gastrointestinal distress, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Parkinson's disease, which are all more common in autistic people than the general population. These drugs are also sold over the counter in as Benadryl, Tylenol, Advil PM and Dramamine, among others. It's thought that anticholinergics blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine over repeated use could lead to permanent damage to cognitive functions. Autistic people also tend to be more sensitive to medications. The increased dementia risk also may be tied to chronic conditions like depression, diabetes and high blood pressure, which induce harmful inflammation in the brain and damage neurons responsible for memory. Dr Shea said: 'This is particularly noteworthy because all of these diagnoses are more prevalent in autism than they are in the general population. 'We know that autistic adults are often unemployed, often don't have community integration and have high rates of obesity.'
Reuters
27-07-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Roche to test if new drug can prevent Alzheimer's disease, Bloomberg News reports
July 27 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding (ROG.S), opens new tab plans to test whether an experimental medicine can prevent Alzheimer's disease symptoms in high-risk people, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The new late-stage study will target people who are at risk of cognitive decline and aim to slow down the emergence of symptoms or prevent them fully, the report said, citing a statement. The new pre-clinical study is the third largest late-stage trial that the company has announced for its drug trontinemab, which uses an experimental technology called brain shuttle to ferry medicine past the protective blood-brain barrier, according to the report. Rivals like Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab have been making progress in the complicated field of Alzheimer's recently with Lilly's Alzheimer's drug Kisunla getting recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) last week. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Roche did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. Treatments for Alzheimer's approved so far, including Eisai (4523.T), opens new tab and Biogen's (BIIB.O), opens new tab Leqembi, and Eli Lilly's Kisunla, are designed to clear sticky clumps of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain. They also carry hefty price tags and the risk of serious brain swelling and bleeding.
Bloomberg
27-07-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Roche to Test Whether New Drug Can Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Roche Holding AG plans to test whether an experimental medicine can prevent Alzheimer's disease symptoms in high-risk people, its latest investment in one of the most failure-prone areas of drugmaking. The new late-stage study will focus on people who are at risk of cognitive decline, Roche said in a statement late Sunday. The goal would be to slow down the emergence of symptoms, or prevent them entirely.
Fox News
23-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Hunter Biden's Ambien claim triggers deeper GOP probe into alleged cover-up of former president's cognition
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are now digging into Hunter Biden's implication that an Ambien sleeping pill was responsible for his father's consequential debate performance one year ago, Fox News Digital has confirmed. The revelation comes as House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading an investigation into the alleged cover-up of President Joe Biden's cognitive decline and his administration's potentially unauthorized autopen use for pardons and executive actions. "He's 81 years old. He's tired as s--t," Hunter Biden told Andrew Callaghan on his "Channel 5" podcast last weekend. "They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage, and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights." But the former president's son later clarified to ABC News that he did not mean Biden was taking Ambien directly before the debate, and he had intended to make a greater point about his father's rigorous travel schedule in the weeks leading up to that disastrous debate night. "Hunter Biden's claim that 'they gave him Ambien to be able to sleep' raises serious questions," a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The House Oversight Committee is looking into this as part of its investigation into the cover-up of President Biden's cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions by White House staff." Ambien, or zolpidem, is a prescription medication for insomnia. It is intended only for short-term use, according to GoodRx. Common side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle and joint pain, and double or blurry vision. The medication can also cause memory problems and grogginess during the day, and more serious and rare side effects can include hallucinations, "abnormal thinking and behavior" and "possible increased risk of dementia in older adults," according to GoodRx. Biden's former chief of staff and a fixture of his re-election campaign, Ron Klain, is expected to participate in a transcribed interview on Thursday before the House Oversight Committee. In a letter requesting his appearance, Comer quoted Klain as cutting Biden's debate prep short last year "due to the president's fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter," adding that Biden "didn't really understand what his argument was on inflation," citing a POLITICO report from earlier this year. "If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive's condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response," Comer said, arguing that the scope of Klain's responsibilities in his personal and professional capacities "cannot go without investigation." Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of The New York Times, and Isaac Arnsdor of The Washington Post describe in their new book, "2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," how during the June 2024 debate "Biden's aides winced as the president started answering the first question." And backstage, as Biden stumbled over an answer that questionably ended with, "We finally beat Medicare," Klain stood up and announced, "We're f---ed," according to the authors. When reached for comment to confirm the book's allegation, Klain told Fox News Digital, "I have nothing to add." A top former Biden administration aide invoked the Fifth Amendment during her closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, Fox News Digital was told. Annie Tomasini became the third Democratic ex-official to stonewall investigators looking into whether signs of Biden's alleged mental decline were covered up by his inner circle. The former White House deputy chief of staff was seen entering and exiting the committee room in under an hour, saying nothing to reporters either time. A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that she invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times. Tomasini herself did not answer when Fox News Digital asked if she did so, and her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. "Today, the third witness in our investigation into the cover-up of President Biden's cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions pleaded the Fifth Amendment. There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy," Comer told Fox News Digital. Tomasini is the third former Biden administration official to come before committee investigators under subpoena, and the fifth to appear overall. She was meant to appear Friday for a voluntary transcribed interview, but a committee aide previously told Fox News Digital that Tomasini's lawyers had asked Comer to issue a subpoena specifically. Both prior officials who appeared under subpoena—former White House physician Kevin O'Connor and Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to former First Lady Jill Biden—also invoked the Fifth Amendment. Biden's office declined to comment to Fox News Digital about the House GOP probe into his alleged Ambien use. But a source familiar with the Biden team's thinking regarding the ongoing House Oversight investigation had previously told Fox News Digital that Trump and congressional Republicans are simply seeking "retribution" through a "partisan, coordinated effort." "It's an attempt to smear and embarrass," the source said. "And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump's DOJ [can] prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge."
