Scottsdale neurologist: Temper expectations for new Alzheimer’s treatment

SCOTTSDALE (3TV/CBS 5) — The FDA is poised on Thursday to approve the first drug shown to slow the decline of Alzheimer’s, and Arizona has the fastest growth rate for the disease in the country. Arizona’s Family spoke with one family who’s embracing the new hope while some doctors are tempering expectations.

“My grandfather had it when I was my daughters age,” Tammy Wadina said. “After that it was my uncle, now its my dad.”

Her father, Dennis, is now in memory care. “Its devastating because I lost my mom a few months ago and now I feel like, in a sense, has lost my father,” she said. She adds that the disease is devastating, unforgivable, incurable and robs a person of their memories.

“He doesn’t remember my mother. they were married for 54 years,” Wadina said. “Its horrible, when I look at my dad with a blank stare, and he doesn’t know what I’m talking about.”

The FDA is poised to approve Lecanemab, an antibody that targets a substance produced in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients called amyloid.

“We want a very sober reaction to this,” said Dr. Richard Caselli, who’s been working with and treating Alzheimer’s patients for 35 years. He explains the new drug is controversial and that studies have shown modest results and sometimes dangerous side effects like brain swelling and brain bleeding. The doctor said it’s not a magic pill and should be used on a case-by-case basis.

For some, the risk isn’t worth the small reward. “They don’t eliminate the problem,” Caselli said. However, as much as the doctor is skeptical, he also said the approval is moving the needle on much-needed treatments. “I think it represents a small step forward. I don’t think this is the last time we’ve heard of this,” he said.

That glimmer of hope is what Wadina is banking on. “Its emotional, I’m hoping someone can avoid going through it,” she said.

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