Last week it was announced that the dementia drug, donanemab, has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

This means it will be available under private prescription in the UK. However, it has been rejected by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), so it will not be available on the NHS.

This follows August’s announcement that lecanemab, a similar drug, was also approved by the MHRA but rejected by NICE.

Both drugs were rejected by NICE as the organisation considered its costs were too high, compared to the modest benefits it gives for people with Alzheimer’s disease. However, the discovery of these drugs has helped further our understanding of treatments that could be used for dementia in the future. 

Research into donanemab

Donanemab is part of a new class of drugs that is emerging. It slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by targeting one of the root biological causes of the disease – amyloid beta protein. This is a toxic protein that builds up in the brains of people with early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Like lecanemab, it is given intravenously. It releases antibodies into the bloodstream that reduce or remove brain amyloid.

In trials, the drug helped slow memory and thinking problems by about a third in people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

One trial, TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2, involved UK participants recruited through Join Dementia Research. Thank you to those who took part. 

Further research

Further studies into donanemab and other drugs to treat dementia are ongoing. Many are recruiting participants through Join Dementia Research. 

Professor Paresh Malhotra, NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) National Speciality Lead for Dementias said:

“The development of new Alzheimer’s treatments is very exciting and a major step forward for the field. It is effective against the underlying biology of the disease – it removes beta amyloid – and has been shown to have clinical benefits. However, these are modest and it only works in early disease with potentially serious side effects. We still need further research to develop more effective and safer treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, and also for the other common causes of dementia.”

Take part in research

Trials of new drugs are becoming increasingly available on Join Dementia Research, but these are just part of the fight against dementia. Studies looking at diagnosis and care are also important. This is because we also need to find ways to help people get an earlier diagnosis or have better experiences of care. 

Check your account regularly to see which studies you match to and if you’re not yet part of our community, sign up today!