Update on FDA Approval of Aducanumab

June 07, 2021

New FDA Drug Approvals, Care & Treatment , News

UW Medicine

Last Updated January 12, 2022

Our team at the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center was excited to learn about the FDA’s approval of aducanumab (brand name Aduhelm) for use in certain individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, and would like to share some information about this newest therapy with our patients and community.

  • Aducanumab works by removing the amyloid plaques that build up in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. Through this mechanism, it can slow, to some extent, the progression of the disease.  

  • Aducanumab is given intravenously on a monthly basis. Due to potential side effects, a person taking this drug has to have ongoing monitoring.

  • The medication is not for everyone. It has only been shown to be effective in those with the mildest symptoms of Alzheimer’s. There is debate about the quality of the evidence and the size of the benefit.  Your medical provider at the Memory and Brain Wellness Center will help determine if you would be a candidate for this medication. Most patients will need additional tests in order to make this determination.

  • The Memory and Brain Wellness Center is in the process of implementing the system resources necessary to administer and monitor this medication. For updated information about aducanumab and to keep abreast of when this therapy will be available at the Memory and Brain Wellness Center, please visit this page: depts.washington.edu/mbwc/resources/aducanumab

 

Resources

Webinar recording: Alzheimer’s Association Webinar: Dialogue: Current Perspectives on Aducanumab (June 21, 2021)

About: A special public scientific discussion to provide a balanced collegial dialog to understand the science behind aducanumab, discuss publicly available data surrounding the complexity of the clinical trial results, discuss what we know about the diagnostic biomarkers being used, and the FDA label which dictates which populations this drug will benefit based on the evidence reviewed.

Recording (Recorded on June 21, 2021) NACC and the UW have not received any financial support for the Alzheimer’s Association webinar or Aducanumab.

 

 

Links to information about this decision

 

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