For decades, the battle against Alzheimer’s disease has been defined by disappointment and stalled progress. But a wave of recent study results have reignited hope that prevention and even reversal may be possible. Studies of anti-amyloid treatments, lifestyle changes, and other biological research mark a rare moment when science seems to be gaining ground on one of the most feared diseases.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, columnist Allysia Finley argues that Alzheimer’s research and drug development have reached a turning point, where seniors can begin to expect tangible, lasting benefits from existing treatments and lifestyle changes. She underscores why this moment matters to patients, their families, and policymakers. Recent research has linked dementia risk to gut health, lithium levels, and even shingles vaccination. Such findings hint at the potential for preventative strategies.
“Lifestyle changes can augment the benefits. A recently published randomized trial found that a “treatment” of regular physical and cognitive exercise, nutritious diet and social engagement improved cognitive performance among previously sedentary older adults at risk of dementia. A smaller study earlier this summer found such lifestyle interventions improved mental acuity of early-stage Alzheimer’s patients, as well as physiological measures of brain health. The treatment group in the latter study also showed an increase in beneficial bacteria in their guts.” […]
“Vaccines and antivirals may be able to help prevent Alzheimer’s. A quasirandomized control trial earlier this year found that people vaccinated for shingles were 20% less likely to develop dementia. Recent research has also found that head injuries increase amyloid and brain inflammation by reactivating herpes viruses. So perhaps administering herpes antivirals after concussions could help protect the brain.”
Alzheimer’s science is advancing faster than many policymakers realize. There are two FDA-approved anti-amyloid treatments currently available in the US. Once dismissed as unproven, these treatments are showing durable benefits for patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board argues that mounting evidence of these drugs’ effectiveness should convince the Trump administration to lift Biden-era constraints on Medicare coverage.
“Two studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference last week show that the benefits of amyloid-clearing monoclonal antibodies by Eli Lilly and Biogen-Eisai grow over time. The drugs slowed cognitive decline in clinical trials used for Food and Drug Administration approval by some 25% to 36% over 18 months. In follow-up studies, these benefits doubled at three years for Lilly’s treatment and roughly quadrupled over four years for Biogen-Eisai’s. That’s great news for patients.”
“The findings are especially notable because critics argued for limiting Medicare coverage of the drugs on grounds that their benefits might not be durable. They dismissed the entire class of anti-amyloid drugs because earlier experimental treatments failed in trials.”
While not a cure, anti-amyloid treatments can make the disease more manageable. Slowing cognitive decline during early stages of the disease means more lucid moments and greater levels of independence that improve patients’ quality of life. The debate over coverage is not just about paying for today’s drugs, it’s about whether the US health system will support a scientific frontier that could make Alzheimer’s more manageable and possibly even preventable within a generation.
For most seniors today, an Alzheimer’s diagnosis comes too late for meaningful intervention. The average patient is diagnosed at age 75 once he or she has reached later stages of the disease. The next frontier of Alzheimer’s science will go beyond treating patients in decline, to test whether FDA-approved amyloid therapies can help people as young as age 55 who carry early signs of the disease but are not yet symptomatic. If successful, trials like these could shift the outlook for Alzheimer’s to a preventable condition.
You can read Allysia Finley’s piece here and the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board’s piece here.