GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Trinity Health Grand Rapids says it's the first in West Michigan to offer a lecanemab, a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. It's a "disease modifying drug," according to Dr. Kevin Foley, Medical Director of the Trinity Health Medical Group Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Program at Trinity Health Hauenstein Neurosciences.
"The early research is interesting," said Foley about disease modifying drugs. "It's not necessarily convincing, but we're hoping that as more research is done, that we'll find out that these drugs may really represent a blockbuster option for people who have Alzheimer's disease."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's Disease. That number is expected to triple to 14 million in the next 40 years as our population ages.
Lecanemab was approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023 using an accelerated approval pathway. The FDA allows this approval for drugs for serious conditions where there is an unmet medical need and is reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit to patients based on clinical data.
The treatment works by fighting amyloid plaques in the brain.
"When I started my training, what, 40 years ago, all we had was empathy to provide to patients who have memory loss, and now we have disease modifying drugs," said Foley. "It's been very gratifying for me to, to do what I've been doing for so long and to see these developments, and now real help and real optimism, for the future for people who have Alzheimer's."
The medication is best for those with early stage of the disease. It's one of many reasons Foley wants patients to take any signs of memory loss seriously. He says he typically sees patients a year or two after developing progressive memory loss.
Foley says memory loss isn't actually a part of the aging process. Symptoms are more than forgetting keys or regular lapses in memory.
"It's having difficulty remember conversations," said Foley. "It might be having some trouble keeping up with scheduled appointments. If an older adult begins to have trouble remembering recent events and conversations, if their speech becomes repetitive, they need to be seen and evaluated."
Foley said some of the preventative suggestions over the years don't seem to be all that effective: things like doing crossword puzzles or eating specific diets. Now, he says, there is new messaging about prevention.
"What we're recommending is that if somebody has a hearing problem that they have that checked out," said Foley. "If necessary, get hearing amplification, because hearing loss has now been recognized as a risk factor for dementia. Something that's brand new."
Also, he says people with sleep apnea are at a higher risk for dementia.
Foley and his team currently have two patients undergoing lecanemab treatment. More are going through an approval process.
The treatment is an infusion given through an IV every two weeks for 18 months.
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