A large review found that the Alzheimer's drugs now available (very expensive!) actually do not slow down the disease. They don't work. In other words, they should never have been approved.
The authors of the study said it appears that the drugs result in little to no difference ("no clinically meaningful effect") in a range of measures, including reducing dementia severity. And their use increases the risk of bleeding and swelling of the brain.
A few years ago journalists uncovered that there was significant fraud involved in the research and drug approvals (not surprising when so much money is involved).
For decades, Alzheimer's research mainly (only) focused on abnormal protein deposits in the brain (amyloid plaques) and misfolded protein tau tangles in the brain. But many researchers are suggesting that other causes of Alzheimer's should be looked at, including viral causes and chronic inflammation.
Excerpts from The Conversation: Alzheimer's Drugs Offer Little Benefit, Major Review Finds - And the Reasons Go Deeper Than the Science
How is it possible to spend tens of billions of dollars developing drugs to treat a serious disease that affects millions of people, and yet end up with something that does not work? This is a mystery that has bedevilled Alzheimer’s research for years. ...continue reading "Large Review Finds Alzheimer’s Disease Drugs Don’t Work"