Treatments for Alzheimer’s disease

Different studies have shown that programmes involving cognitive intervention, physical activity, and activities of daily living have a beneficial effect on patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

There are currently four drugs marketed specifically for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. They all have a symptomatic effect, in other words, they act on the consequences of the neurodegenerative process, such as the cognitive and behavioural problems, but they do not address the causes. There are two groups of drugs available:

Anti-amyloid therapies represent a new hope for people wth Alzheimer's disease. These treatments, which include drugs such as lecanemab and donanemab, focus on reducing the deposits of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain, which is considered one of the main causes of the disease. By reducing this deposit, the drugs can help slow the decline in memory and thinking.

However, it should be noted that these drugs are not approved by the European Medicines Agency and are therefore not currently available in Europe. They have been approved only by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, where they are available.

These drugs have proven effective mainly in people who have early symptoms of the disease, but there is no evidence they work in moderate or severe stages. They are administered by intravenous infusion on a regular basis (once a fortnight or a month). Studies have shown they can slow the rate of cognitive decline, although they do not cure or prevent the disease.

However, it must be remembered that these treatments can have side effects, such as dizziness, headache, flu-like symptoms and confusion, with more serious ones being swelling and bleeding in the brain. Therefore, constant medical monitoring is crucial to ensure the safety and efficacy of the treatment. Furthermore, these drugs have proven effective only in the early stages of the disease and are not suitable for everyone. There are several medical exclusion criteria to determine whether a patient can benefit from these therapies.

Despite their limitations and risks, these therapies provide a new way to approach Alzheimer's disease, providing hope for patients and their families. It is essential to talk to your medical team and stay informed about future developments in this field.

There are currently different lines of research into new therapies for Alzheimer's disease. Here are some of the most promising:

• Anti-amyloid drugs. In addition to the anti-amyloid drugs described in the previous section, several pharmacological studies continue to search for new drugs in this line that provide greater efficacy or a more accessible and convenient route of administration.
• Anti-Tau drugs. The Tau protein is another harmful protein that accumulates in people with Alzheimer's disease. It is closely linked to the symptoms and progression of cognitive decline. Several pharmacological clinical trials are also exploring drugs that can reduce the accumulation of this protein and effectively slow progression of the disease.
• Neuroprotective drugs. There are other lines of research looking for drugs that can prevent neurodegeneration to preserve existing neurons as well as modify inflammatory activity, among other mechanisms.
• Symptomatic treatments: In parallel, other potential drugs for use as symptomatic treatments - that is, to alleviate the symptoms (e.g. memory problems and agitation) - are still being investigated: especially those which are more effective than currently available ones or which can be coadministered to intensify their beneficial effect.