💊 Treatments
Dementia treatment ranges from traditional medications that have been used for decades to cutting-edge modern therapies that are just now entering the picture. Understanding both — what works, what's new, and what has failed — helps set realistic expectations.
Traditional Medications
These are the established drugs that doctors have prescribed for years. They don't stop or reverse dementia — they help manage symptoms for a while. Cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil/Aricept, rivastigmine/Exelon, galantamine/Razadyne) work by boos…
Modern Anti-Amyloid Antibodiesstrong evidence
These are the first drugs that actually target the disease process rather than just symptoms. They work by helping the immune system clear amyloid plaques from the brain. Lecanemab (Leqembi) and donanemab (Kisunla) are both FDA-approved. They slow co…
Anti-Tau Therapiesmoderate evidence
While anti-amyloid drugs target plaques, anti-tau drugs go after the tangles that more closely track with actual cognitive decline. This is considered the "next frontier" in Alzheimer's treatment. Bepranemab showed the most promise so far: in the TOG…
Experimental & Cutting-Edge Approaches
Beyond antibodies, researchers are trying entirely new approaches: Gene therapy (CRISPR): Scientists can now convert the APOE4 risk gene to the safer APOE3 version in lab models. A biotech company (CLAIRIgene) was founded to bring this to patients. F…
Repurposed Drugs
About a third of drugs in the 2025 Alzheimer's pipeline are existing medications being tested for a new purpose. Metformin (the diabetes drug) is in a Phase 2/3 trial with 370 patients — results expected in 2027. A large UK study found metformin user…
What Has Failed — And Why It Matters
Understanding failures is as important as celebrating successes. AL002 (a drug targeting brain immune cells) failed its Phase 2 trial completely — showing that reducing brain inflammation alone isn't enough. Aducanumab was pulled from the market afte…