The drug had slowed the cognitive deterioration of patients by 27% in a clinical trial carried out by Biogen and Eisai Lecanemab has been tested in 1,800 volunteers suffering from Alzheimer’s in a moderate stage of developmentThe death of one of the patients who participated in the study came after he suffered a hemorrhage in the brain The experimental drug against Alzheimer’s disease lecanemab may have contributed to the death in June of a patient who participated in the clinical trial of that drug, as reported by the STAT medical journal. Lecanemab has been tested in 1,800 volunteers suffering from Alzheimer’s in a moderate stage of development from 14 different countries. this neurodegenerative disease after it slowed patients’ cognitive decline by 27% in a clinical trial conducted by the companies without any independent expert review. The idea of the companies was to apply for approval in the US as well as in Japan and Europe, where they hope to do so before March 2023. However, the latest news about this drug does not invite optimism. The death of one of the patients participating in the study occurred after he suffered a hemorrhage in the brain and could be related to lecanemab treatment. The company denies a relationship between death and the drug The Eisai company has denied that this relationship exists between the bleeding and the drug and has pointed to other possible factors, including a series of setbacks the patient suffered in the previous months: multiple falls, a heart attack, a respiratory infection and events similar to mini-strokes. The race to reach a treatment that reduces the cognitive damage caused by Alzheimer’s is a huge business. Biogen, in fact, already raised hopes with another drug, Aduhelm, which were later dashed. In the last two decades, no company has been able to present any specific drug for this disease and the first to guarantee positive results will probably represent a scientific and economic milestone. The objective sought is to slow down the cognitive deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and improve the quality of life of patients. That is, at the moment, the objective of most of the drugs that are tested for this disease, which has no cure or effective way of preventing it, at the moment. There is also no early diagnosis, although progress is also being made along this path. B-amyloid protein Lecanemab targets the same target as the vast majority of drugs currently being tested against this disease: B-amyloid protein, which accumulates, in plaques, in the brain of the vast majority of Alzheimer’s patients, altering neurons and causing dementia. The scientific community has requested more data from the lecanemab trial. Biogen and Eisai have committed to publishing them by the end of November. Lecanemab is currently being reviewed for “accelerated approval” by the US drug agency, FDA, based on the results of the phase II trial. The death of this patient could, however, ruin the company’s intentions.