logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
9m 45s

Why Aduhelm, a new Alzheimer's treatment...

NPR
About this episode
Aduhelm, known generically as aducanumab, is the first drug to actually affect the underlying disease process associated with Alzheimer's. Yet sales have been limited, and the drug is reaching very few patients — at least so far. It's expensive, risky and likely doing little to improve patients' lives. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton explains why doctors and patients aren't excited about the new drug and what it could mean for future Alzheimer's drugs.

Additional links:
- Jon's reporting on aducanumab: https://n.pr/3bDV0MY
- Jon's reporting on future Alzheimer's treatments: https://n.pr/3bDUsqo

You can always reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Lessons and failures from the Challenger space shuttle explosion
On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA’s 25th space shuttle mission, Challenger, left the launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Seventy-three seconds into flight, Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean as millions of people watched. All seven people on board died. Now, forty years later, jo ... Show More
13m 55s
Jan 28
How scientists predict big winter storms
This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations. B ... Show More
10m 24s
Jan 27
What drives animals to your yard? It's complicated
Listener Shabnam Khan has a problem: Every time she works in her garden, she’s visited by lizards and frogs. Shabnam has lived in the metro Atlanta area for decades, and she says this number of scaly, clammy visitors has exploded over the past few years. Frogs croak at night; liz ... Show More
13m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2021
Alzheimer's Dementia
Alzheimer's disease is a devastating neurodegenerative condition that affects the entire family. As psychiatrists and psychologists, we often support these patients and their families throughout this entire disease process. With the recent and controversial FDA approval of aducan ... Show More
57m 32s
Aug 2023
What difference could new Alzheimer’s disease drugs make?
Until recently, breakthroughs in treating Alzheimer’s disease were non-existent. But two new drugs have shown promise in moderately slowing memory and thinking problems for people with early-stage disease. While welcoming the idea of a ‘new era’ for treating Alzheimer’s disease, ... Show More
28m 37s
Aug 2021
Controversial new Alzheimer's drug in the spotlight
After decades without progress, this June a new treatment was approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration - Biogen's Aduhelm. Ivana Davidovic looks into why this process has been so controversial that is now under investigation by a federal watchdog.Aaron Kesselheim, a Harva ... Show More
18m 21s
Dec 2022
Declining ALS Patients Are Waiting On The FDA's Next Move
For many years, pharmaceutical companies have tried and failed to find a treatment to slow symptoms of ALS–the debilitating, fatal illness also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A potentially promising new drug from Biogen may offer some relief to those afflicted with an uncommon an ... Show More
25m 57s
Jul 2021
'Some Hope Is Better Than Having No Hope'
<p>When the F.D.A. approved the drug Aduhelm, the first Alzheimer’s treatment to receive the agency’s endorsement in almost two decades, it gave hope to many.</p><p>But the decision was contentious; some experts say there’s not enough evidence that the treatment can address cogni ... Show More
36m 59s
Sep 2021
What Causes Alzheimer's?
<p>The human brain is mysterious and complicated. So much so, one might be tempted to argue that it only makes sense that we still don't have a cure for Alzheimer's disease, despite decades of research. But this isn't the whole story. We've partnered with Vox's <em>Unexplainable< ... Show More
29m 54s
Jul 2023
How close are we to ending Alzheimer's?
A new drug, Donanemab, has been hailed as a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer's after a global trial confirms it slows cognitive decline.One trial was shown to have “significantly slowed” the progression of the disease—by 35%.Earlier this year, Lecanemab, the first dru ... Show More
48m 39s
Jun 2021
#164 - Amanda Smith, M.D.: Diagnosing, preventing, and treating Alzheimer's disease, and what we can all learn from patients with dementia
<div><span style= "font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> Amanda Grant Smith is a geriatric psychiatrist with decades of experience treating patients with dementia and Alzheimer's ... Show More
2h 1m
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami