Aducanumab (Marketed as Aduhelm) Approval Is Likely Based on Misinterpretation of PET Imaging Data
Poul Flemming Høilund‐Carlsen, Abass Alavi
Abstract
According to the FDA, aducanumab (Aduhelm), the recently approved anti-Alzheimer drug, reduces the level of cerebral amyloid plaques-a hallmark finding in patients with Alzheimer's disease-and this will result in a reduction in clinical decline. The authors of this article are not convinced that amyloid deposits are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and are of the opinion that the apparent reduction in amyloid accumulation following aducanumab treatment is likely instead a result of continued and advanced cerebral cell death and, thus, not a sign of improvement but of an even more advanced disease.
Topics & Concepts
Pet imagingDiseaseMedicineAmyloid (mycology)Amyloid βAlzheimer's diseaseNeurosciencePathologyPositron emission tomographyOncologyPsychologyNuclear medicineAlzheimer's disease research and treatmentsDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life