Two drugs are the first to offer real hope of slowing Alzheimer's for the 6.5 million Americans living with the disease. They may benefit white people more than Black people
, donanemab - are the first to offer real hope of slowing the fatal disease for the 6.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's.
The growing evidence of a disparity around amyloid, a defining characteristic of Alzheimer's, is raising questions among some scientists about who will benefit from the two new treatments – the first ever proven to slow the rate of cognitive decline, the researchers said. The disparity in beta amyloid is adding to evidence that some health metrics may not work the same in diverse populations as they do in white people.
That left just 43 Black participants out of 947 people enrolled in the US portion of the trial, or 4.5% of the total - a stark under-representation since the disease is most prevalent for Black Americans and they make up 13.7% of the U.S. population. Eisai, which is based in Tokyo, is working with the National Institutes of Health , a US government health research agency, to test Leqembi's effectiveness in preventing Alzheimer's dementia among people with elevated amyloid but normal cognition.
Clinical trials typically have low enrollment of diverse populations: Among US trials that reported race and ethnicity, about 80% of participants were white, 10% were Black, 6% were Hispanic and 1 percent were Asian, a 2022 study found. In 96 dementia trials from 2000-2017, diverse populations only made up around 11% of enrollment, according to a 2018 study.
Subsequent studies involving brain scans, spinal fluid and blood tests - many citing Barnes' work – have also found differences.
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