PHOENIX — The recent approval of a new Alzheimer's drug is opening the door for researchers to expand their work and validate the work they've already done. Now they're recruiting local study participants.
ABC15 first reported about the challenges surrounding access to the drug lecanemab, with an out-of-pocket annual cost of over $20,000. One way around the cost is to participate in a clinical trial and there is one currently taking patients in the Valley.
Researchers working on the AHEAD study believe there are indicators of Alzheimer's that can show up even 20 years before the disease takes hold. They've identified a protein, detectable in blood tests, that signals your risk of Alzheimer's. Now, they need to work backward to confirm an early intervention treatment so doctors can order those blood tests.
"The ease of having blood tests is obviously going to change the face of Alzheimer's care so that soon hopefully primary care doctors will be screening all individuals starting at a certain age," said Alzheimer's specialist physician Dr. Danielle Goldfarb, who is working on the AHEAD study.
Doctors with Banner Health are using lecanemab to study if non-symptomatic patients would benefit from taking it if those genetic markers and risks are present.
"The approval and demonstration by the FDA validates that we really need to start sooner before there's any symptoms," said Dr. Goldfarb.
Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix and Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City are participating in the study. They're recruiting people ages 55-80, without symptoms but who are at risk.
There are still side-effect concerns with lecanemab that you will be monitored for. You should discuss with your doctor if participating is right for you.
For more information, click here or call 602-839-6500.