34 | JANUARY 25 • 2024 J
N

L

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

(C) IPOPBA / ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES PLUS

continued on page 36