US approves first new Alzheimer’s drug in 20 years

A new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, the first in nearly 20 years, was approved in the US, which will trigger pressure to make it available worldwide in spite of mixed evidence over its efficacy. While doctors, patients and the organisations that support them are desperate for treatments that can slow mental deterioration, the usefulness of the new drug, aducanumab, is disputed by scientists. Two trials were stopped in 2019 because the drugs appeared not to work. The manufacturer, Biogen, said the drugs were unlikely to improve memory and thinking.