Everything to Know About Aducanumab, the New Controversial FDA-Approved Alzheimer’s Drug

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• After nearly 20 years without new treatments, drugmaker Biogen has won accelerated approval for aducanumab, also known by the brand name Aduhelm, a drug that treats Alzheimer’s by attacking the protein plaques associated with this disease.
• Clinical trials confirmed that the drug slows disease progression in its early stages by helping clear plaques associated with the disease.
• But the drug’s approval is controversial, as the drug does not clearly show that it improves symptoms.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced accelerated approval for drugmaker Biogen’s Aduhelm, the brand name for aducanumab. It is the first drug to treat a likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease, despite controversy around whether clinical evidence proves it works.

While other drugs relieved some symptoms of the condition, Aduhelm has been found in one clinical trial to actually slow the progression of plaques associated with Alzheimer’s in patients with early stages of the disease.

But the drug’s approval is also controversial, as it is not clear how beneficial it will be at stopping the clinical symptoms of the disease.