A drug being researched at the University of Kentucky to treat Alzheimers’ Disease has received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has been working on the drug Lecanemab for years.
Dr. Greg Jicha is the clinical trials director. He said this is not a cure, but it is a significant step forward.
“We’re not there yet,” Jicha said, “but this is the first medicine ever that actually changes the disease in the brain, removes a component of the disease and can extend quality of life for patients who are developing and who are in the early stages of Alzheimers’ Disease.”
Jim Jackson lives in Morehead and is a participant in Lecanemab trials at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. His wife, Sharon, described his progress.
“He’s doing really well, and I can see, that this medication, from what I had understood about Alzheimer’s, seems to be holding him pretty steady.”
Dr. Jicha says the process involves a rigorous 18-month regimen, with the potential to slow cognitive decline by approximately six months.
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