Having learned about the possible side effects of a drug authorised for use by Alzheimer’s patients in the UK, Shreeya Seeburrun, 17, from Lady Eleanor Holles School, thinks it is more of a curse than a cure.
It was my last day of work experience. I began my afternoon of walking around the ward and chatting with elderly patients as the geriatricianDoctor specialising in the healthcare needs of the elderly. I was shadowing had run out of things for me to do.
After some time, I noticed a disoriented patient and offered to help him back to his bed. The man greeted me happily and for the next hour, we discussed his love of music and poetry, although he frequently lost track of the conversation.
Later, the geriatrician explained that the man had Alzheimer’s diseaseA progressive disease that causes brain damage over time. It is a common cause of dementia. , and told me about his life, information I found profoundly moving. This experience helped me to see patients suffering from Alzheimer’s as more than mere statistics, but rather as individual people.
However, the utter scale of the disease cannot be ignored. In the UK, Alzheimer’s disease is the main cause of dementia and, according to the NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948., affects 17% of people over the age of 80. So, shouldn’t a recently available drug, hailed as a “miracle” for treating Alzheimer’s offer some consolation?
Donanemab, which is marketed under the name “Kisunla”, has proven to be the best-performing drug for the disease, slowing symptoms by 35% over a period of 18 months.
The drug is a monoclonal antibody and works by attaching to abnormal accumulations of protein in the brain, called amyloid beta plaques. The gathering of plaque contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s. Donanemab works by slowing down the progression of the illness by targeting the plaque.
The drug was authorised by the MHRAMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency — an agency of the UK’s Department of Health which is responsible for ensuring that medical products and medicines work and are safe. to be prescribed privately in the UK in October 2024. However, the European Medicines Agency has not approved Donanemab for use in the European Union, saying its benefits were not large enough to outweigh the associated risks.
As with many promising new treatments, it might just be too good to be true, at least for some patients taking Donanemab/Kisunla. One in three of the people with Alzheimer’s who take the drug will experience brain bleeding, because of inflammation of the blood vessels. The brain bleeds occur in places where amyloid plaques are found, a condition known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities.
Overall, when a treatment offers both promise and potentially precarious consequences, healthcare professionals need to balance whether they regard it as a cure or a curse. Despite its potential, I believe Donanemab is more of a curse than a cure, given the possible associated risks.
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Keywords
Geriatrician – Doctor specialising in the healthcare needs of the elderly.
Alzheimer’s disease – A progressive disease that causes brain damage over time. It is a common cause of dementia.
NHS – The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
MHRA – Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency — an agency of the UK’s Department of Health which is responsible for ensuring that medical products and medicines work and are safe.
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