On October 22 we posted about the news that Biogen was applying to license Aducanumab for treatment of Alzheimer's disease type of dementia. The monoclonal antibody was abandoned by researchers when a stage three trial was not showing sufficient positive results to justify continued pursuit. Biogen said they had been going back over the data and believed that some of the trials were actually yielding positive results. It was not going to cure Alzheimer's disease, but it was said to slow its progress. Therefore, licensing and sale of the treatment were in order. The stock market is desperate for a drug that will actually treat the disease rather than the symptoms, and Biogen's stock took off like a rocket. The news attracted a lot of attention in popular media.
The announcement took everyone by surprise, and there was great initial jubilation. But as time goes on, my sense is that there is some skepticism growing regarding its ultimate viability. This week's ALZForum discussed some concerns, although they were cautiously optimistic.
In my book, "Beating the Dementia Monster," I describe what has occurred since 2015 when I first knew I had memory problems. (You can find it on Amazon.com.) I have experienced remarkable improvement, and I’m certain that I can share valuable information with many others. In this second edition I continue my story to 2020 and provide greater understanding of how Alzheimer's advances and why what I did worked.
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