Mercè Boada Rovira

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is linked to the presence of tau protein deposits and amyloid plaques in the brain. Now, a team at Johns Hopkins University (USA) has identified more than 200 misfolded proteins in rat brains that are associated with age-related cognitive decline. Although the study does not allow us to know whether they play a causal role, the authors claim that amyloid plaques ‘are just the tip of the iceberg.’ The results are published in the journal Science Advances.

Less than four months after the European Medicines Agency recommended in July not to grant marketing authorisation for Leqembi™ (lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has reassessed the available evidence to conclude that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended not granting marketing authorization for Leqembi™ (lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) considers that its effect in delaying cognitive decline does not outweigh the risk of serious side effects associated with the drug, in particular swelling and possible bleeding in patients' brains. Leqembi™ was approved in 2023 in the United States.