Lecanemab drug trial to examine if it can slow progress of Alzheimer’s disease
When 69-year-old Margaret Williamson was told she was at high risk of developing dementia, she was shocked.
The retired nurse from Bonnells Bay in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, has no family history of the disease.
“I didn’t think there would be anything wrong with me,” Margaret said.
“I did all the memory tests and flew through them.”
A screening at the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) in 2022 detected that Margaret and her identical twin sister, Marilyn, had the amyloid protein in their brains, believed to be the leading cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is the leading cause of death for women in Australia.
“When I was nursing, I worked with dementia patients and saw how the disease affected them,” Margaret said.
“It’s terrible to see people deteriorate. They end up like a prisoner, just sitting.”
The diagnosis meant Margaret and Marilyn qualified to take part in a clinical trial into a groundbreaking drug, which researchers believe could be the key to not just slowing the development of the brain disease, but preventing it.
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‘Not just treating the symptoms’
Several Lecanemab drug trials are being conducted in Australia, but Newcastle is the only site in a regional area.
HMRI’s trial is being led by Michael Breakspear, a professor of neuroscience and psychiatry.
“Everyone has amyloid in the brain, but it usually clears during our sleep,” Professor Breakspear said.
“For people who develop Alzheimer’s the clearance is slower than the build-up, so over many years the amyloid begins to accumulate.”
Overseas studies have shown that Lecanamab can slow cognitive decline caused by Alzheimer’s by 25 per cent.
Now the two-year drug trial at HMRI will aim to determine whether it can also prevent the disease.
“What we’re doing is targeting people who are yet to develop Alzheimer’s but have low levels of amyloid,” Professor Breakspear said.
“So we’re not just treating the symptoms with Lecanemab, but actually modifying the progression of the disease.”
In June 2023, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) accepted and commenced evaluating an application to register the use of Lecanemab (LEQEMBI) in Australia, after it was given the green light in the US.
The legislated time frame for TGA assessment is 255 working days for applications of this kind.
Hope for the future
It is estimated there are more than 400,000 Australians currently living with dementia.
Without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia is expected to double by 2058, according to Dementia Australia.
Cara O’Brien from Newcastle is at high risk of developing the disease after both of her parents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
“It’s extremely rare for both parents to have Alzheimer’s, so the stats are against me,” she said.
“But that’s the thing about dementia, no-one knows because there isn’t enough data.”
For Cara, a drug like Lecanemab could be life-changing.
“Dementia is on the increase all over the world, and it’s going to affect so many of us going forward,” Cara said.
“So I think any breakthrough is promising.”
Margaret is hopeful that the HMRI study will have positive results.
She is currently undertaking the trial and receiving treatment at the Mater Hospital in Newcastle.
“I’m alright now, but those coming after me might benefit from this,” Margaret said.
“You’ve got to be game enough to put yourself out there, to help someone else.”
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