An international clinical study involving Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona has shown that acting on the tau protein helps slow the progression of Alzheimer's in its early stages, opening up a new avenue for treatments capable of modifying the course of the disease. The results, presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), point to the potential of the experimental therapy diranersen (BIIB080), designed by the biotechnology company Biogen to reduce the production of this protein linked to cognitive decline. Researchers observed a significant and sustained reduction in tau protein in patients' brains, as well as signs of a slowdown in cognitive and functional decline, particularly in those who received the lowest dose.
New setback for the arrival of the first Alzheimer's drugs in the State
The Spanish government and the autonomous communities reject the authorization of Leqembi and Kinsula, the only drugs that slow down the disease
BarcelonaFor a year now, Europe has had two approved drugs to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, but Catalan patients have not yet been able to benefit from them because they are not yet authorized in Spain, which continues to unsuccessfully negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies. This week there was a new meeting that ended without an agreement. The interministerial Commission on Drug Pricing has rejected their inclusion in public healthcare, considering that "the demonstrated clinical benefit is very limited" and that the cost of the drugs "is very high for the clinical value they provide," according to sources from the Ministry of Health. The two drugs are approved in about fifty countries, including the United States, Japan, China, and the United Kingdom, and are the only ones to date that have shown they can change the course of the disease.
The Secretary of State for Health of the Spanish government, Javier Padilla, believes that decisions must be made that take into account not only the existence of a therapeutic innovation, but also "the solidity of scientific evidence, patient safety, and the system's real capacity to implement the treatment with the necessary guarantees." He also emphasizes ensuring economic conditions that "allow for equitable and sustainable access for all citizens." Likewise, he has argued that the Ministry of Health maintains its willingness to continue dialoguing with the companies to find a solution that makes it possible to incorporate this drug into the National Health System. In fact, ministry sources assure that Health has supported its funding, but that other actors in the commission – which includes the autonomous communities and other ministries – have rejected it.
Padilla explained that the negotiation of these drugs has been a high priority for the ministry. "In fact, if an agreement had been reached, our country would foreseeably have been the first in Europe to fund it, as at this moment neither of these two drugs currently has public funding in any member state," the Secretary of State assured. For this reason, he insists that the Spanish procedure "has not meant a delay compared to other countries".
On the other hand, the Spanish Confederation of Alzheimer's and Other Dementias (CEAFA) has regretted the decision of the Spanish government and the autonomous communities because it considers that they are condemning Alzheimer's patients "to abandonment". In their opinion, the decision they have made is "unjustifiable", since they consider these drugs to be "the greatest scientific advance" against the disease and they are already available in more than fifty countries. "Spain is once again on the sidelines of biomedical innovation, denying thousands of people the only therapeutic option capable of delaying the progression of the disease," it has criticized forcefully.
Slow down symptoms
To understand the functioning of these new drugs, it is necessary to understand how the disease acts. Alzheimer's is characterized by the unusual accumulation inside and outside neurons of a peptide (a protein fragment) called beta-amyloid and the protein known as tau. It is not known why this happens, but it is very likely that this is what causes cells to malfunctionand the brain to atrophy little by little. The drugs are called Leqembi and Kinsula and use antibodies to attack beta-amyloid plaques and slow the cognitive decline of people with early symptoms of the disease.
