The authors pooled data from 19 randomized trials (with 23,202 total participants) that evaluated 8 different anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies directed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The studies were generally of good methodologic quality and used various validated and standardized scores of cognitive performance and function.
While the antibodies provided small benefits on these scores compared with placebo, none of these, on average, were of a magnitude that patients, family, and caregivers would notice. That was also true for the two FDA approved drugs, Leqembi and Aduhelm.
None of the studies reported the proportion of patients experiencing meaningful differences and none reported on other important outcomes such as functional dependence, caregiver burden, or nursing home placement. Compared with those taking placebo, patients receiving these antibodies were 10 times more likely to experience brain edema and 24 times more likely to have symptomatic brain edema.
by Henry Barry, MD
