US expert panel votes 'no' on experimental Alzheimer's drugMaker Biogen was hopeful its drug aducanumab would be the first ever approved to treat the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's -- a major medical milestoneWASHINGTON - A US government-convened expert committee on Friday voted against recommending the approval of the first new Alzheimer's drug in almost two decades after finding insufficient evidence of its benefit. Maker Biogen was hopeful its drug aducanumab would be the first ever approved to treat the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's -- a major medical milestone. It would also have been the first drug approved against the disease since 2003. Aducanumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets the build-up of a protein called beta-amyloid in the brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients. One theory holds that Alzheimer's disease comes about from an excessive accumulation of these proteins in some people's brains as they age and their immune systems decline.

Source: Bangkok Post November 06, 2020 23:03 UTC