What It's Like Taking Alzheimer's Drugs

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

There are now two fully approved drugs on the market that can, sometimes, slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Both have been shown to slow down the mental decline of Alzheimer's by more than 25%. But that's in a group of patients—an individual may do much better, or not be helped at all. NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton has been talking to people who've taken these drugs. Today he has the story of two patients to receive them.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from Wondery.
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0:15.4	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:20.5	Hey, Shortwavers, Regina Barber here.
0:23.0	And today on the show, we're bringing you some Alzheimer's reporting from NPR's brain guy, John Hamilton.
0:28.6	Hey, John.
0:29.5	Hello, Gina.
0:30.5	Okay, so, John, I hear you got a couple stories for us.
0:34.2	That's right.
0:34.9	As you may know, there are now two drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
0:38.9	Administration to treat Alzheimer's disease. I now know. So I've been checking in with one person who is on
0:44.2	each of these drugs to see how they're doing. Okay. So give us some background on these drugs.
0:48.8	Sure. They are meant for people in the very early stages of Alzheimer's. So, you know, before a person's memory and thinking
0:55.1	have gotten really bad. Both of these drugs are given by intravenous infusion. And both of them
1:01.4	clear out this protein called beta amyloid, which is what forms those kind of sticky plaques that
1:06.7	build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. Right. Oh, and both of these drugs cost more than $25,000 a year.
1:13.0	Wow.
1:13.7	Okay.
1:14.1	How do they work and do they work?
1:16.9	Well, they are really good at removing beta amloid.
	...

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