Breakthrough or bluff? New Alzheimer's therapies cause excitement!

Breakthrough or bluff? New Alzheimer's therapies cause excitement!

There is a lot going on in the world of medicine at the moment, particularly in the area of ​​Alzheimer's therapies. On October 2nd, an exciting discussion about the new therapeutic approaches took place at the 59th DEGAM Congress in Hanover, which attracted a lot of media attention. The newly approved drugs Lecanemab (Leqembi) and Donanemab (Kisunla) offer hope, but skepticism is also appropriate. Chief physician Thomas Duning from the Department of Neurology at the Bremen-Ost Clinic commented on these developments in a live podcast.

Duning is cautiously optimistic: “The approach of using the immune system to fight the disease is smart,” he says. Nevertheless, he makes it clear that these new therapies do not offer a cure, but only enable relative progress. Martin Scherer, also on site, speaks of widespread hype about these medications and points out that the fear of dementia is often more pronounced than that of one's own death. The experts present agree: Progress is crucial, but the implementation of these therapies raises many questions.

Therapists and doctors in dialogue

The medical news isn't just about euphoria, it's also about concerns. Experts discuss the potential impact of these new forms of therapy on the healthcare system. Questions of evidence and financing are at issue. This issue is being taken seriously by the medical community after years of stagnant progress in Alzheimer's research. With the approval of lecanemab and donanemab, which are the first new antibodies since the drug donepezil came onto the market in 2006, a new path could now be taken.

Treating Alzheimer's through immunotherapies that target the harmful amyloid beta protein has already led to the approval of several antibodies. However, there are concerns about the safety and effectiveness of these new approaches, with use expected to increase rapidly, particularly in the United States, despite certain restrictions on use. PMC informed that previous studies mostly show a marginal improvement.

Safety concerns and study results

The safety profiles of the new antibodies are alarming. Studies show that 45% of lecanemab participants experienced treatment-related side effects, including severe brain swelling. The result is even more worrying with donanemab, where 89% of patients experienced side effects and more than a third developed brain swelling. A comprehensive discussion about the safety and effectiveness of these therapies is essential before they can be used on a large scale.

• Bekannte Alzheimer-Antikörper:
• Bapinezumab: 2003 (nicht zugelassen)
• Solanezumab: 2004 (nicht zugelassen)
• Crenezumab: 2008 (nicht zugelassen)
• Gantenerumab: 2010 (nicht zugelassen)
• Aducanumab: 2019 (USA) – 2024 eingestellt
• Lecanemab: Seit April 2025 in der EU, seit 1. September 2025 in Deutschland verfügbar
• Donanemab: Seit 25. September 2025 auch in der EU zugelassen

If we look into the question of how these antibodies work, it turns out that they attack harmful amyloid beta proteins in the brain and promote their breakdown. One goal of therapy is to slow the breakdown of intact brain cells and preserve cognitive abilities. Despite these perspectives, many aspects remain unclear: It is still not completely clear how the relationship between the deposits and the symptoms should be assessed and whether monoclonal antibody therapy alone leads to a cure or not. An interaction of different therapies may be necessary.

The current situation in Alzheimer's research is complex. Research continues at high speed as it can take up to twenty years for the first symptoms to appear. It remains to be seen how the new therapeutic approaches will develop and to what extent they actually bring the promised progress.

spectrum has also provided further exciting insights into these groundbreaking therapies that could revolutionize Alzheimer's treatment.

Alzheimer's research provides valuable information that sheds light on the complex nature of this disease.