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New Alzheimer’s Drugs Will Worsen Inequality
I go over why these medications will not cure all.
Disclosure: I own a fraction of a share of Eli Lilly stock.
We live in a very exciting time! Alzheimer’s medications that are more promising than past drugs are starting to hit the shelves, with others on the way. Eli Lilly’s new daratumumab medication has been suggested to slow the progression of early Alzheimer’s by up to 35%. So if it took someone five years to progress to more serious Alzheimer’s without medication, this could slow it, so it could instead take seven years, meaning more years being more present with one’s family. Lecanemab (Leqembi), from Eisei and Biogen, was also found to reduce cognitive decline, keeping our parents or ourselves fully present as we traverse life’s journey together!
In this article, I will talk about why these drugs offer society hope yet will also cause a big problem, at least in the short term (i.e., until generics become available when the drugs’ patents expire). As for my background, I earned my M.D. in the United States to soon earn my Ph.D. in Canada, focusing on Genetics. Today, I work as a postdoctoral scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, studying the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease. In my medical training, I have seen the tragedy that can happen to people’s parents or themselves…
