“We are making history”: World’s first recipient of new Alzheimer's drug
A man from Rhode Island, USA, has become the first patient in the world to receive an infusion of a controversial Alzheimer's disease drug.
Marc Archambault, 70, has been treated with aducanumab, which was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 7th.
The drug works by removing the sticky deposits of a protein called amyloid-beta from the brains of patients in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's.
Critics aren't happy with the decision, saying clinical trials were mixed and question if the approval process of the drug was too quick.
Archambault is happy with being treated.
"I am a happy guy but hearing that the FDA had approved Aduhelm and that I am eligible for the treatment, I am living happier of course," Archambault said in a statement.
"The thought that the last stage [of Alzheimer's] may now be far away for me, or even that I might stay as I am, is incredible. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to receive this treatment."
Dr Stephen Salloway, who oversees the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital has said that 100 patients will be given the drug once a month.
"Today, we're making history," he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"We're opening a new era in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
10 out of 11 members of the FDA advisory board voted against the drug's approval in November, but the FDA is allowed to make decisions that go against the board's vote.
The controversial rollout also caused three members of the board to step down from their positions.
"[Aducanumab] probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history," Kesselheim wrote in a letter to FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock on Thursday, per Stat News.
"It is clear to me that FDA is not presently capable of adequately integrating the Committee's scientific recommendations into its approval decisions."