Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1152989
t m c » p u l s e | a u g u s t 2 0 1 9 23 medications currently on the market only treat symptoms. Cholinesterase inhibitors, for example, are used to control some behaviors associated with mild to moderate Alzheimer's by preventing the breakdown of a chemical messenger in the brain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved a new drug for the dis- ease in more than a decade. The last FDA-approved therapy was Namenda—also known by its generic name, memantine—which is used to improve memory, awareness and daily functioning. That was 16 years ago. (In 2014, the FDA green-lit Namzaric, which is a combination of two long-approved Alzheimer's drugs, memantine and donepezil.) Most recently, in March 2019, Biogen halted two major studies on its drug, aducanumab, which was supposed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's by targeting amyloids (proteins) long thought to destroy brain tissue. The drug showed great promise, according to data that Biogen and Japanese pharma- ceutical partner Eisai presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in 2018. But no drug in history that specifically targeted amyloids has ever succeeded in defeating the scourge of toxic proteins responsible for Alzheimer's— let alone keeping them at bay. In the end, Biogen's promising drug was no exception. But the lack of a cure is not for lack of trying. "We learn from every failure," Yu said. "Walking these patients and their families through the disease is difficult. It's a difficult road they have to go down and I wish we had more that we could offer, but we're learning more and more about what leads up to when the patient shows symptoms." ➟ C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Houston TMC Pulse_ad_6_2019.pdf 1 6/20/19 11:17 AM Judie sits next to Kenny as he paints at Memory Café, a monthly social event for people living with Alzheimer's and their loved ones.