13 min read
Alzheimer's: 20 Years, 99% Failure, $42 Billion, Two Drugs
Two drugs finally broke through. They work only before most patients are ever diagnosed.
Alzheimer's drug development has a 99.6% failure rate - the highest of any disease. Between 2003 and 2021, zero new treatments were approved while $42.5 billion was spent on clinical trials. Then lecanemab and donanemab broke through. But 27% slowing of cognitive decline, brain swelling in up to 1 in 4 patients, and $26,000/year raises the question: is this enough?