Alzheimer’s monoclonal antibodies fail to deliver meaningful results

Despite successfully removing amyloid plaques from the brain, widely anticipated antibody therapies fail to deliver meaningful cognitive improvements, raising critical questions about the future direction of Alzheimer’s treatment.

Study: Amyloid‐beta‐targeting monoclonal antibodies for people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. Image credit: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock.com

Scientists have recently systematically reviewed articles to assess the efficacy and harms of amyloid‐beta‐targeting monoclonal antibodies in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. This review is available in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, irreversible neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. It is defined neuropathologically by the accumulation of extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, leading to synaptic dysfunction, neuronal loss, and cognitive deterioration.