Curr Top Med Chem. 2026 Feb 19. doi: 10.2174/0115680266418206251122102530. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) deposits and neurofibrillary tangles containing phosphorylated tau protein. Around 57 million people worldwide were estimated by the World Health Organization to have dementia in 2021, with AD being the most prevalent type. The burden of AD is still rising. By 2036, there will likely be close to 20 million AD cases worldwide, according to projections that show a sharp increase brought on by population aging. Normal neural transmission is disrupted with Aβ plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau tangles, eventually resulting in the death of neurons and cognitive impairment. Currently, no therapies provide a cure; available treatments are symptomatic. The main focus of scientists has been on targeting Aβ and tau proteins. A number of anti-Aβ and anti-tau monoclonal antibody therapies targeting the buildup of Aβ and tau in the brain have been discovered recently. An announcement was made in September 2022 regarding the phase 3 research, suggesting Lecanemab had achieved its main objective of slowing the progression of clinical dementia. The CLARITY AD Phase 3 trial, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on January 5, 2023, assessed lecanemab, a monoclonal antibody, in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) brought on by Alzheimer’s disease who had biomarker evidence of amyloid pathology. Lecanemab showed a statistically significant, although clinically modest, slowing of decline on the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) in the 18-month double-blind, placebocontrolled trial. Clinical worsening was reduced by 27% when compared to placebo (mean difference of -0.45; 95% CI: -0.67 to -0.23). Similar modest benefits were observed across quality of life and daily functioning measures, and all primary and secondary cognitive and functional endpoints were met. The change in CDR-SB fell short of the minimal clinically significant difference that is frequently mentioned for this patient population, and the observed clinical benefit is typically characterized as small to moderate. Crucially, lecanemab-treated participants had a higher incidence of amyloidrelated imaging abnormalities (ARIA) such as edema and microhemorrhages (about 21.5%) than the placebo group (about 9%). Although the majority of ARIA events were controllable, there were a few documented instances of severe consequences, especially when anticoagulation was used. On 9th June 2023, an FDA advisory group unanimously decided that Lecanemab demonstrates clinical benefits for therapy of early Alzheimer’s disease, marking the opening door for full approval. The results demonstrate lower Aβ and tau, a real therapeutic advantage, going beyond simple alterations in biomarkers, representing a major breakthrough in the treatment of AD. This review provides a summary of mechanisms, results of the clinical trials of anti-tau and anti-Aβ antibody treatments up to February 2024, as well as recommendations for their future developments.

PMID:41735210 | DOI:10.2174/0115680266418206251122102530