Researched
Alzheimer's antibody drugs
Lecanemab (2023) and donanemab (2024) clear amyloid plaques and modestly slow early Alzheimer's decline on trial scales; whether this matters clinically is contested.
Open in the interactive tree →The FDA gave lecanemab full approval on 6 July 2023 and donanemab on 2 July 2024. Benefits are small (about 27% less decline over 18 months for lecanemab) and brain swelling or bleeding can occur, so they suit only early-stage patients. A Cochrane review of 17 trials (April 2026) concluded the antibodies probably make little to no difference to cognition.
Prerequisites
Unlocks
- Alzheimer's and brain declineopenThe first drugs that slow decline came from targeting amyloid
- Restoring and protecting memory2040s?Clearing amyloid is the first attempt to protect failing memory with a drug