{"id":4844,"date":"2026-07-21T12:25:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/21\/wonder-drug-could-delay-alzheimers-symptoms-for-three-years\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:25:09","slug":"wonder-drug-could-delay-alzheimers-symptoms-for-three-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/21\/wonder-drug-could-delay-alzheimers-symptoms-for-three-years\/","title":{"rendered":"'Wonder drug' could delay Alzheimer's symptoms for three years"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-07-21 12:25:06<\/b>
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A pioneering Alzheimer’s drug could hold back the devastating symptoms of the disease for up to three years, according to promising new research.

\nScientists say donanemab not only delays memory and thinking problems but also slows the brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s, raising fresh hopes for patients and families.

\nThe treatment, given by intravenous infusion, was licensed for use in the UK in 2024 but has yet to be made available on the NHS after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ruled its benefits did not justify the cost.

\nThe latest findings, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London, tracked around 1,200 people with early Alzheimer’s disease, with roughly half receiving donanemab for 18 months.

\nResearchers compared them with similar patients who had not received the drug using standard dementia tests.

\nAfter 18 months, patients treated with donanemab showed significantly less decline in memory and thinking. Three years later, the difference between the two groups had doubled, suggesting the benefits continued long after treatment ended.

\nThe team also found the drug dramatically reduced levels of amyloid plaques \u2013 one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s \u2013 by around 90 per cent in people with mild cognitive impairment. Blood tests also showed a significant fall in p-tau217, a marker linked to the harmful tau protein associated with the disease.

\nHilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This strengthens the growing evidence for both the medicines already licensed in the UK, donanemab and lecanemab, that they can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease over the longer term, and have greater benefit when started early in the course of the disease.”

\nDespite the encouraging results, concerns remain over the treatment’s safety.

\nPrevious trials linked donanemab to brain swelling and bleeding, with three deaths reported among participants. The fatality rate was fewer than two per thousand people treated.

\nDr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Donanemab became the second treatment approved in the UK to tackle early Alzheimer’s disease but as yet is not available through the NHS.

\n“Over time, as evidence grows, new safety findings and delivery methods could be grounds for future hope.

\n“But, the reality is that even if donanemab was made available on the NHS tomorrow, our healthcare system isn’t ready to deliver it.”

\nAround one million people in the UK are living with dementia, with Alzheimer’s the most common form, and that figure is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
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