Alzheimer’s antibody gets surprise US approval

The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) surprised the Alzheimer’s disease community by approving Biogen’s aducanumab (now called Aduhelm). The FDA noted that this monoclonal antibody is the first to show a reduction in amyloid plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Previous drugs have slowed the progression of these aberrant protein clumps, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, but not reduced them.