34 | JANUARY 25 • 2024 J
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ast year was a landmark
year for Alzheimer’s
disease research, including
advancements in treatment, risk
factors and diagnosis. Here are five
significant discoveries made this
year:

NEW TREATMENTS
There are three new approved
treatments for Alzheimer’s, with a
fourth on the way.
In July, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)
granted traditional approval
for Leqembi for mild cognitive
impairment due to Alzheimer’s
and mild Alzheimer’s dementia.
This treatment slows cognitive
decline and can help people with
early Alzheimer’s maintain their
independence.
In June 2021, the FDA
granted accelerated approval to
Aduhelm for the same purpose.
At the Alzheimer’s Association
International Conference (AAIC)

in July 2023, Lilly reported
positive results for a third similar
treatment: donanemab. The
company expects FDA action in
early 2024.
In May, the FDA approved
the first treatment for agitation
in people with Alzheimer’s —
brexpiprazole.

HEARING & ALZHEIMER’S
Hearing aids could slow cognitive
decline for at-risk older adults.
In the largest clinical trial to
investigate whether a hearing
loss treatment can reduce risk
of cognitive decline, researchers
found that older adults with
hearing loss cut their cognitive
decline in half by using hearing
aids for three years.
The intervention included
hearing aids, a hearing “toolkit,”
and ongoing instruction and
counseling. Though the positive
results were in a subgroup of the
total study population, they are

encouraging and merit further
investigation.

BLOOD TESTS
Blood tests for Alzheimer’s are
coming soon.
Blood tests show promise for
improving how Alzheimer’s is
diagnosed. Advancements reported
for the first time at AAIC 2023
demonstrate the simplicity and
value to doctors of blood-based
markers for Alzheimer’s.
Blood tests are already being
implemented in Alzheimer’s drug
trials. And they are incorporated
into proposed new diagnostic
criteria for the disease. Blood
tests — once verified and approved
by the FDA — would offer a
noninvasive and cost-
effective option for identifying the
disease.

DISEASE PREVALENCE
The first-ever county-level
estimates of the prevalence of

HEALTH & WELLNESS

STATEPOINT

5 Things We Learned About
Alzheimer’s Disease in 2023

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