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Alzheimer’s drug results are promising – but let’s not get carried away

Published

3 years ago

21 October 2022

JeffG

Alzheimer’s drug results are promising – but let’s not get carried away

UNSW Sydney

Clinical trial results for lecanemab are a significant step rather than a ‘historic breakthrough’, say UNSW Alzheimer’s experts.

Partner companies Eisai and Biogen have recently announced promising clinical trial results for their new Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab. Over 18 months, patients treated with lecanemab experienced slower symptom progression than the placebo group. These results have been described as a ‘historic moment for dementia research’ – but what do they really mean for patients?

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that leads to dementia – a decline in memory, reasoning and other thinking skills. Disease progression can initially be very slow, with changes in the brain occurring up to 25 years before symptoms arise. However, once these cognitive issues are present, living with Alzheimer’s can be very challenging for patients and their families.

Alzheimer’s has puzzled scientists for decades

There is some contention around what alterations in the brain drive Alzheimer’s disease, with several culprits identified so far.

“What actually causes Alzheimer’s disease is not really known… There’s some debate about how and when these processes happen,” says Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty AO, Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Sydney.

One of the prime suspects is a protein fragment called beta-amyloid, which is quite sticky and can accumulate in clumps in the brain, called ‘amyloid plaques’. These clumps of protein build up around neurons – the brain cells that power thinking. The ‘amyloid hypothesis’ is a theory that amyloid plaques are the first step in the development of the disease.

Amyloid is directly toxic to brain cells, and also promotes the development of the other main brain pathology – neurofibrillary tangles in brain cells. The tangles are made of tau proteins that get knotted up inside neurons, blocking function and causing toxicity. Plaques also lead to the development of inflammation in the brain which is harmful to brain cells.

Limited treatments are available for Alzheimer’s

Most of the current Alzheimer’s drugs help to manage symptoms but can’t halt or reverse brain degeneration. They mainly work by maintaining levels of neurotransmitters – brain chemicals that neurons use to communicate with one another – which can be decreased in patients with Alzheimer’s.

“Research into Alzheimer’s treatments in the ’80s came up with the only current drugs on the market,” says Professor Peter Schofield AO, the CEO of Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and professor at UNSW Medicine & Health.

“The existing drugs only target symptoms and provide a delay in disease progression. They’re not targeting the underlying disease cause.”

Treatments that target the underlying causes of a disease are referred to as disease-modifying. The drug aducanumab, which was also developed by Eisai and Biogen, is the only disease-modifying treatment that has been approved for Alzheimer’s. Aducanumab, marketed as Aduhelm, is an antibody that targets amyloid plaques and helps the immune system to clear them from the brain.

In 2021, aducanumab was approved for use in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but it isn’t approved in other countries, including Australia and Europe. The FDA approval was highly controversial as clinical trials had failed to show that the drug caused an improvement in dementia symptoms, although the drug did clear amyloid plaques. Aducanumab treatment also led to a degree of brain swelling and/or bleeding in up to 40 per cent of clinical trial participants.

Lecanemab’s clinical trial results

Lecanemab is a new drug that works similarly to aducanumab – an antibody that promotes clearing of beta-amyloid from the brain. However, lecanemab targets amyloid fibrils, which are smaller clumps of protein that eventually turn into amyloid plaques.

“Lecanemab is designed a little bit differently. It’s trying to remove the amyloid fibrils,” says Professor Schofield. “Why wait until you’ve got a pile of garbage – the plaque? Why don’t you just pick up bits of litter on the way?”

Eisai and Biogen reported that in their latest 18-month clinical trial, symptom scores for patients treated with lecanemab had worsened 27 per cent less compared to those given a placebo. This has been met with much excitement as, unlike aducanumab and other previous treatments, lecanemab has shown the first evidence of slowing down Alzheimer’s progression.

At the same time, the limitations of these results can’t be ignored.

“These results provide a glimmer of hope in a field in which numerous previous trials have failed to achieve their primary outcomes,” says Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev, Co-Director of CHeBA and Clinical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute of the Prince of Wales Hospital. “Whether this result is clinically meaningful is, however, still uncertain.”

Firstly, though statistically significant, the difference in symptoms between the treatment and placebo group in the trial was 0.45 points on an 18-point scale. Most clinicians in the field suggest that a greater difference is needed to impact patients’ lives, for example 1 to 2 points.

Secondly, lecanemab targets beta-amyloid build up but there are probably other contributors to Alzheimer’s progression – for example neurofibrillary tangles. These other changes would not be fixed with this drug.

It also must be acknowledged that, like aducanumab, lecanemab causes the potentially serious side effects of brain swelling and bleeding. In this recent clinical trial, 21 per cent of the treatment group versus 9 per cent of the placebo group experienced these changes on brain MRI scan.

Finally, Alzheimer’s disease is only one of many causes of dementia, so lecanemab won’t be of benefit to those with other causes, for example vascular changes and Parkinson’s disease. In very old people with more severe dementia, there are often multiple contributing factors. The lecanemab trial did not focus on this patient group – the drug’s impact was only tested in those with early or mild dementia caused by Alzheimer’s.

Not a breakthrough, but a positive step

Despite all these caveats, these latest findings are a significant step forward for Alzheimer’s research. Lecanemab is the first-ever treatment that slows down symptom progression, even if the effect is small.

“We still have a long way to go until we have what everyone wants. A treatment for Alzheimer’s for themselves, their loved one, their parent, that is affordable and efficacious,” says Professor Schofield. “But it looks like we’ve got a first foot on the ladder.”

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$34.2 Million Boost for Health Worker Accommodation in Northern NSW

Published

2 months ago

26 February 2025

JeffG

$34.2 Million Boost for Health Worker Accommodation in Northern NSW

Robert Heyward

Healthcare workers in Grafton, Lismore, and Tweed will soon benefit from new and upgraded accommodation, as the Minns Labor Government invests $34.2 million to attract, recruit, and retain essential health staff in Northern NSW.

This funding is part of the $200.1 million Key Health Worker Accommodation program, which supports more than 20 projects across rural, regional, and remote NSW.

Expanding Housing for Health Workers

The four-year program will secure approximately 120 dwellings across regional NSW, including:

Newly built accommodation
Refurbishment of existing living quarters
Purchase of suitable properties, such as residential units

This initiative will help recruit and retain over 500 healthcare workers and their families, ensuring they have access to modern, sustainable housing while strengthening regional health services.

The investment builds on the success of the NSW Government’s previous $73.2 million commitment to key health worker accommodation across five regional Local Health Districts (Far West, Murrumbidgee, Southern NSW, Hunter New England, and Western NSW).

Government Support for Regional Health Workers

Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to providing modern, sustainable accommodation for the key health workers who are the backbone of our regional, rural, and remote communities.”

“Strengthening our regional health workforce is a key priority, and this $34.2 million investment will help attract vital healthcare workers to Grafton, Lismore, and the Tweed.”

Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin:

“This program is ensuring our frontline health workers have access to high-quality, sustainable housing when they need it most.”

Labor Spokesperson for Clarence and Tweed, Emily Suvaal, MLC:

“Housing remains a major issue in our region, and this investment will not only support our hardworking health staff but also contribute to the broader community by increasing local housing stock.”

Building a Stronger Regional Health Workforce

By improving access to housing, the Key Health Worker Accommodation program ensures that Northern NSW Local Health District can continue delivering high-quality healthcare to communities across the region.

This initiative is part of the Minns Labor Government’s broader commitment to strengthening the regional, rural, and remote health workforce—creating better conditions for frontline staff while boosting health services for local communities.

For more local news, click here.

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First NSW Festival to Launch Pill Testing Trial

Published

2 months ago

26 February 2025

JeffG

First NSW Festival to Launch Pill Testing Trial

By Robert Heyward

The Minns Labor Government has announced that Yours and Owls Festival, held on March 1 and 2, will be the first event to take part in New South Wales’ pill testing trial.

While illicit drugs remain illegal in NSW, the government emphasises that this initiative does not condone drug use. Instead, the trial aims to reduce harm by offering festivalgoers access to qualified health professionals who can provide safety advice.

The free, anonymous service allows attendees to submit a small sample of substances they intend to consume. These will be analysed for purity, potency, and potential harmful additives by trained professionals. Health workers and peer educators will be on-site to explain the testing limitations and provide harm reduction information.

Importantly, no drug will be deemed “safe” to use. Patrons will be reminded that all drug use carries risks and that the only way to avoid harm is not to take drugs at all. If needed, attendees will be referred to health and welfare services available at the festival or in the broader community.

NSW Health and NSW Police are collaborating with festival organisers to ensure the trial is safely and effectively implemented. The program will run alongside existing medical and harm reduction services at participating events.

The trial, set to run for 12 months, will be independently evaluated. The government is also working with other festivals to explore their involvement.

This initiative follows the Government’s Drug Summit, which concluded in December. The summit’s co-chairs provided interim recommendations supporting festival-based drug testing as a harm reduction measure.

By introducing this trial, the NSW Government aims to gather evidence on whether pill testing can improve safety at music festivals.

Further information on the NSW Drug Checking trial can be found here.

For more local news, click here.

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Experts to Research Harms of Screen-Related Addiction in Young People

Published

2 months ago

26 February 2025

JeffG

Experts to Research Harms of Screen-Related Addiction in Young People

By Robert Heyward

The Minns Labor Government is bolstering its efforts to address the adverse effects of excessive screen time on young people with the award of research grants totaling $2.5 million through the Screen Use and Addiction Research Fund. Nine research projects – including three PhD scholarships – have been granted funding to build a robust evidence base that will inform future government policies aimed at safeguarding children’s mental health, development, and learning.

The newly funded research initiatives will analyze a range of data, including mental health metrics and NAPLAN outcomes, alongside screen use data from a study by the Black Dog Institute involving 5,500 NSW adolescents. One study will even leverage existing longitudinal data on adolescent wellbeing and learning outcomes, while another will form part of an ongoing investigation into the effects of recreational screen time on high school students. Together, these projects will contribute to New South Wales’ first comprehensive database on the impact of screen use on young people.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy by the Minns Labor Government to mitigate screen-related harms—a strategy that also includes banning mobile phones in all NSW public schools, co-hosting a world-leading social media summit, updating the school syllabus to include lessons on online safety and responsibility, and recruiting an additional 250 school counsellors across NSW public schools.

Overview of Key Projects:

Effects of Recreational Screen Use on the Mental and Physical Health of Australian High School Students:
A collaboration among the Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Australian Catholic University, University of Queensland, and Flinders University. Led by Associate Professor Aliza Werner-Seidler, this project will identify causal relationships between digital device use, wellbeing, and academic outcomes by leveraging longitudinal adolescent data.
Best Practice in Screen Use for Education:
A consortium of NSW universities—including Macquarie University, University of Wollongong, and others—led by Professor Matt Bower. This project aims to evaluate the impact of screens on K–12 learning environments and to establish effective practices for digital learning interventions.
The Impact of Excessive Screen Time on Students’ Academic Achievement, Cognitive Functioning, and Mental Health:
Led by Professor Ben Edwards at the Australian National University, this ten-year longitudinal study will utilize statistical modelling of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children to explore the effects of screen use outside school hours.
Seeing the Bigger Picture: Exploring Children’s Screen Time and Outcomes through Collaborative Data Analysis:
Involving multiple institutions such as Australian Catholic University, La Trobe University, University of Queensland, and others, Dr Taren Sanders will use meta-analyses to develop evidence summaries that inform safe and effective classroom screen use.
Screen Time, Sleep, and Development in Preschoolers and Those with, or at Risk of, Autism:
A multi-institution collaboration led by researchers from the University of Newcastle, Monash University, and additional partners. This project will investigate the links between screen time, sleep, cognition, language, behaviour, and wellbeing in preschool-aged children.
Identifying the Links Between Video Game Play and Wellbeing:
Conducted by a team from the University of Wollongong, Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland, and the University of Victoria (Canada), this research aims to unravel the causal impacts of video game play on wellbeing among secondary students and to develop educational resources for preventing problematic gaming.

PhD Scholarships:

Madeleine Gale (University of Newcastle):
Assessing the relationship between screen time, sleep, and language development in children aged 3 to 5 years, with a focus on variables such as duration, content, time of day, and interactivity.
Samantha Playford (University of Newcastle):
Examining differences in language development between autistic and typically developing children aged 3 to 5 years, and exploring how screen time and sleep behaviours influence these outcomes.
William Tregea (University of Wollongong):
Formative research aimed at co-designing an intervention to promote healthy screen use among young children in culturally diverse communities in Southern Western Sydney, in partnership with NSW Health’s SWS Local Health District.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car commented, “Many parents are concerned about how smartphones and devices are affecting their children’s mental health and development. We still don’t know enough about how this new technology impacts our children. That is why we committed to establishing this fund – to build up a body of reliable facts and research for families. This research can be used to inform evidence-based policies that benefit students for years to come.”

All grant recipients are required to deliver their findings by 2026, marking a significant step towards developing comprehensive, evidence-based strategies to mitigate the harms associated with excessive screen time among young people.

For more local news, click here.

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What You Need to Know About Australia’s $573 Million Women’s Health Package

Published

2 months ago

20 February 2025

JeffG

What You Need to Know About Australia’s $573 Million Women’s Health Package

By Ian Rogers

The federal government has unveiled a $573 million women’s health package, promising significant savings for younger women on oral contraceptives and older women experiencing menopause. The new measures aim to make essential therapies and treatments more affordable while addressing long-overdue health concerns for Australian women.

Menopausal Hormone Therapy Subsidies

From 1 March, three menopausal hormone therapies—Estrogel Pro, Estrogel, and Prometrium—will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Currently, over 100,000 women pay around $650 per year for these medicines. Under the PBS, eligible patients will pay just $7.70 per month with a concession card or $31.60 per month for general patients.

Dr. Sonia Davison, endocrinology lead at the Jean Hailes Clinic, welcomed the change, saying it would make a “meaningful difference” to many women’s lives.

“For far too long, menopausal women have had their experiences dismissed and faced barriers to accessing affordable treatment options,” Dr. Davison said.

One in four women experiences severe or prolonged menopausal symptoms that can affect their quality of life. Symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, sleep deprivation, joint pain, mood changes, and decreased concentration, often lasting around seven years.

New Oral Contraceptive Pills on the PBS

The package also includes the first PBS listing of new oral contraceptive pills in more than 30 years. Yaz and Yasmin will now be available at a subsidised price, helping 50,000 women save hundreds of dollars annually.

Women who currently pay around $380 per year for non-PBS listed contraceptive pills will now pay $126.40 annually, or $30.80 with a concession card.

Savings on Long-Term Contraceptive Procedures

The government will also increase Medicare payments to doctors and nurse practitioners for the bulk-billed insertion and removal of long-term contraceptive devices such as implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs).

Medicare rebates for these services will rise by up to 150%, with around 300,000 women expected to save up to $400 in out-of-pocket costs annually.

Future Investments and Expanded Services

Other measures in the $573.3 million package are expected to roll out after the upcoming election, should Labor secure another term. These include:

Increased Medicare rebates for menopause health assessments and long-term contraceptive procedures
New pelvic pain clinics
Further investments in perimenopause and menopause services

Health Minister Mark Butler said the absence of new contraceptive pills or menopausal hormone therapies on the PBS for decades demonstrated the system’s failure to meet women’s needs.

“Today’s announcement is a tribute to all the Australian women who have worked so hard, for so long, to have their voices heard and acknowledged,” Mr. Butler said.

A Shift Toward Addressing Women’s Health Needs

Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney described the package as an effort to “shift the dial on an entrenched culture of medical misogyny.”

The opposition welcomed the initiative, with health spokeswoman Anne Ruston pledging that the Coalition would match the funding. However, she also expressed concern about the increasing difficulty and cost for Australian women to access primary care.

The Australian Medical Association highlighted funding for long-term contraceptives and the expansion of clinics to support menopause and perimenopause as key steps in addressing the health needs of Australian women.

For more local news, click here.

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Breaking News

Tweed Valley Hospital to Gain Additional Car Parking Spaces

Published

2 months ago

19 February 2025

JeffG

Tweed Valley Hospital to Gain Additional Car Parking Spaces

By Jeff Gibbs

Patients, staff, and visitors at Tweed Valley Hospital will soon benefit from 130 additional free car parking spaces, enhancing access and convenience at the state-of-the-art hospital. This upgrade will boost total parking capacity to over 1,300 spaces across the hospital campus.

The $723.3 million Tweed Valley Hospital, which opened in May 2024, has transformed healthcare delivery in the region. It offers new and expanded services for around 5,000 patients annually, including interventional cardiology and radiotherapy, which means locals can now access life-saving treatments close to home rather than traveling outside the region.

Operational Review Leads to Enhancements

The decision to add parking and improve traffic management followed an operational review of the hospital’s transport and traffic arrangements. The upgrades aim to maximise the available space and improve the efficiency of existing car parking areas. Key improvements will include:

130 new street-level car parking spaces
New signage and line marking
Enhanced parking management systems

Work will begin in the coming months and will be carried out in stages to minimise disruption to patients, staff, and visitors. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Community and Staff Welcomed the Upgrades

Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park said the project reflects the government’s commitment to improving access to healthcare for local residents:
“We’ve listened to valuable feedback from Tweed Valley Hospital staff and the community. I’m delighted to announce we will deliver additional car parking to further enhance access to the hospital and vital health services for the local community.”

Labor Spokesperson for Tweed, Emily Suvaal MLC, emphasised how the additional parking would boost convenience and capacity:
“The additional car parking and enhancements to traffic arrangements will provide more options for patients, staff, and visitors. In the nine months since opening, the hospital has already welcomed 787 babies in its new birthing suites. This project ensures the hospital will continue to meet the growing health needs of our region.”

Commitment to Free Parking

Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot reiterated the importance of free parking at the facility:

“NSW Labor made a rock-solid commitment that parking would be free for staff, visitors, and patients. Thanks to all in our community who fought so hard for this, and for the additional free car parking spaces. Labor listens and Labor acts.”

Northern NSW Local Health District Chief Executive Tracey Maisey added that the upgrades will greatly improve the hospital experience for everyone:

“Additional parking will make a real difference to our patients, visitors, and especially our staff. These practical steps will help ensure we continue to deliver first-class healthcare to our community.”

Project Timeline and Community Updates

The project is being funded as part of the Tweed Valley Hospital Redevelopment, in partnership with Northern NSW Local Health District and Health Infrastructure. Staff and the community will receive regular updates as work progresses to ensure they are informed about the enhancements.

For more information about the Tweed Valley Hospital and parking updates, visit the Northern NSW Local Health District website.

For more local news, click here.

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