The US Food and Drug Administration approved the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 20 years. The health officials said the agency has granted approval to the drug developed by Biogen for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Point to be noted that it is the only drug that can likely treat the underlying disease, instead of manage symptoms like anxiety and insomnia. The new drug from Biogen developed in coordination with Eisai Company of Japan. However, one study shows the new drug did not reverse the mental decline but only slow it. The FDA is requiring the drug manufacturer under the approval terms to conduct a follow-up study to confirm benefits for patients. The agency could pull the drug from the market if the study fails to show effectiveness.
The drug manufacturer Biogen didn’t immediately disclose the price. However, analysts have estimated that the drug could cost between $30,000 and $50,000 for one year of treatment. It is noteworthy that more than 6 million people in the United States and many more around the world have Alzheimer’s. The disease gradually attacks areas of the brain needed for memory, reasoning, communication, and common basic daily tasks. The affected patients could lose the ability to swallow in the final stages of the disease. The US Food and Drug Administration also approved a new weight-loss drug, “Wegovy”, on Friday. The drug has now become a new weapon for Americans in the fight against obesity. This new drug is for people who are either obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related medical problem.
The director of the Washington Center for Weight Management and Research, Dr. Domenica Rubino said, “We have to think about obesity no different than hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes”. She said people taking existing obesity medications lose an average of about 7% to 9% of their body weight. Rubino added, “People who require 10%, 15%, 20% weight loss, we need tools”. It is important that patients on Wegovy lost an average of 17% of their body weight during a 16-month study. However, the side effects include diarrhea and nausea, which usually resolved as the dose was slowly increased. Patients taken off the drug gained back more than half their weight loss.