When Alzheimer’s disease was believed to be caused solely by the accumulation of amyloid protein in the brain, pinning all hopes on an amyloid-targeting drug like Aduhelm — the first drug approved to treat Alzheimer’s in 17 years — made sense. But newer knowledge that ties Alzheimer’s to the biology of aging indicates the disease is caused by a combination of age-related changes in the brain that affect different people in different ways.
That means neither Aduhelm nor any anti-amyloid drug on its own will be a cure for the estimated 6.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s. The next phase of research must focus on promising drugs that target a host of underlying pathologies that contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Today more than ever, research is embracing this new understanding, taking a more diversified “multiple shots on goal” approach to new drug targets. More than three in four treatments currently in clinical development work against non-amyloid targets. These include drugs to reduce inflammation in the brain, improve blood flow, clear misfolded proteins, improve how the brain metabolizes energy, and more.
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