‘I’ve got my independence back’: How game-changing new Alzheimer’s drug has transformed life of ex-teacher, 65, robbed of ability to drive and read by cruel disease

By Liam On Jul 19, 2023

Lori Weiss always feared that Alzheimer’s would one day claim her and rob her of her independence and memories.

The former teacher from Portland, Oregon, had seen the cruel disease, the leading cause of dementia, ravage her mother, grandfather, several aunts and uncles, and a cousin before she was diagnosed herself.

But thanks to a groundbreaking new drug called donanemab, which has been proven to slow the mental decline of the disease by up to 60 percent, Ms. Weiss, 65, is enjoying a new life.

Before taking the drug, she found herself unable to drive and became confused at intersections she previously knew by heart.

“The big impact was that I regained my sense of direction,” she said The times.

Lori Weiss, 65, a retired Oregon teacher, said she has regained her independence thanks to new Alzheimer’s drug

Donanemab is given once a month to Alzheimer’s patients by intravenous infusion. The monoclonal antibody — a man-made version of proteins produced by the body to fight harmful substances — travels to the brain. Once in the organ, donanemab binds to toxic accumulations of amyloid plaque – a hallmark sign of the memory-robbing disease. This prompts immune cells known as microglia to clear them

“Before taking the drug, I came to a crossroads and didn’t recognize where I was and had to stop driving.

“Now I can drive anywhere and pick up my friends and take them to Alzheimer’s painting class and we’re having a blast and I can get them home safely.

“I have my independence back.”

Mrs. Weiss can now also enjoy her love of reading again.

Before taking donanemab, a monthly infusion, she had trouble remembering what she had just read.

Ms Weiss said she first noticed problems with her memory in 2019 when she started having trouble answering student questions and remembering how to fill out spreadsheets at work.

This eventually led to her being diagnosed with cognitive impairment in 2020, before a 2022 scan revealed a buildup of the amyloid protein in her brain, the telltale sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Ms Weiss enrolled in a safety trial of donanemab and used the drug from January 2022 to May this year.

She added that the drug’s success has given hope not only to her, but also to her sons, who are concerned about their own risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the future.

Earlier this week, U.S. pharma giant Eli Lilly said donanemab could thwart the progression of the disease by up to 60 percent when it revealed the final study results.

The drug is a monoclonal antibody, a man-made version of proteins naturally produced by the body to fight harmful substances.

Once it gets to the brain, it binds to build amyloid plaques, marking them for removal by the body’s immune system.

However, as with any medical treatment, the drug is not without risks.

Serious side effects such as brain swelling and bleeding were seen in some patients, as well as three deaths from taking the medication.

Eli Lilly expects to apply for approval to sell the drug in the UK within the next six months.

Experts hope this means it will be available on the NHS as early as 2025.

Changes in humor and increased swearing are all signs of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a form of dementia that causes behavioral and language problems. According to experts, poor parking and scruffy clothing are also signs of the memory-robbing disease. Graphic shows: Six signs of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers today revealed that donanemab slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients by an average of 35 percent by clearing toxic plaques in the brain

While some experts describe the game as a breakthrough in the decades-long search for effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, others have poured cold water on the findings.

Some experts have said the numbers on its effectiveness are based on patient test results from an Alzheimer’s evaluation, taken at the beginning and end of an 18-month study.

Critics added that the improvements are therefore “a bit of a mirage” and the effects of the drug may not even be noticeable to patients or their families.

However, other scientists have said the results could make Alzheimer’s a manageable condition, akin to asthma or diabetes, and have called on UK regulators to make ‘quick’ decisions to ensure patients can benefit.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will determine whether both medicines are safe for use in the UK, as part of the first step of approval.

Drug watchdog NICE will then assess whether they are cost-effective for the NHS.

It is hoped that the first-generation drugs will pave the way for even more effective future therapies.

Charities also called on health officials to ensure the UK is ready to roll out this first wave of treatments, which have the potential to help 720,000 people.

While welcoming the ‘new era’ in treatment, they warned that only 2 per cent of patients could currently receive the drug because diagnosis is inadequate in Britain.

About 850,000 Britons and 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.

The disease is the leading cause of dementia, a condition in which patients have a reduced ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with daily activities.

Dementia affects 900,000 people in the UK and an estimated 7 million in the US.

The condition is considered a global health problem because people are living longer. It is putting increasing pressure on healthcare systems, including in the UK.

Treating and caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia costs the UK an estimated £25 billion a year, the vast majority of which goes to social care spending, according to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Q&A

What is donanemab?

Donanemab teaches the body’s immune system to target and destroy harmful proteins called amyloids. Amyloid accumulations are believed to be toxic to brain cells, eventually causing them to die, leading to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Alongside lecanemab, the drug is one of the first treatments designed to target the underlying disease and prevent it from getting worse.

How is it given?

Treatment is given intravenously once a month through an IV or infusion. Patients should therefore be treated in hospital or in an appropriate ‘infusion centre’. During the trial, people were treated for up to 18 months, but were often found to be free of amyloids within six months.

Any side effects?

Researchers found some serious side effects, such as brain swelling and bleeding. Three participants died, which researchers say was related to their treatment. There have also been deaths in trials of other similar rival drugs.

Who would qualify?

Patients should be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and have amyloid protein accumulation in the brain. About 720,000 people could be eligible, but currently only 2 percent receive the necessary diagnosis through specialist testing.

When could the drug be available?

Eli Lilly, the US pharmaceutical company behind the drug, said it would file an application with European regulators within six months. This includes the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which must give the legal green light before a medicine can be considered for use in the UK. It would then need to be reviewed by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence to consider its cost-effectiveness in addition to its clinical benefits and side effects. It means the earliest donanemab that could be available on the NHS is 2025.

Are we ready?

Not as it looks now. Experts say the resource implications of delivering treatments like this are huge. The NHS should train skilled staff to deliver the drugs, with investment in many more brain scans and infusion suites. It has only 88 PET scanners that can detect amyloid plaques, one of the lowest rates in the developed world.

What does this mean for prevention or cure?

“Finally there is some hope,” John Sims of Eli Lilly said yesterday when presenting the new results. This hope has been in the making for decades, and there is now great promise in addressing the underlying causes of the disease. But while this is rightly hailed as a major breakthrough, there is still a long way to go before we can say we have beaten dementia.