'Alzheimer's Assn: RFK Jr spreading 'harmful myths' on NIH research'

 The Alzheimer's Association has pushed back against comments by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr about research into the disease that it has labeled "inaccurate and dangerous fabrications."

In particular, the organisation is unhappy with Kennedy's repeated assertions that Alzheimer's research has been dedicated to "one hypothesis" – that removing amyloid beta from the brain can slow down the cognitive decline in the disease – and that any other hypotheses have been "shut down."

In testimony to the Senate budget hearing this week, Kennedy doubled down on that position, saying: "NIH really went off the rails on Alzheimer's research 20 years ago. One of the favourite researchers, the part of the old boys club at NIH, developed a hypothesis that Alzheimer's was, the cause, was caused by amyloid plaque buildups."

He continued by asserting that: "After that, NIH suppressed any science – refused to fund any science."

Kennedy has previously said that there should already be a cure for Alzheimer's and the fact that there is not is "purely because of corruption at NIH."

The Alzheimer's Association points out that over the most recent 10 years available – between 2014 and 2023 – less than 14% of new NIH-funded Alzheimer's projects focused on amyloid beta as the therapeutic target.

"Dementia scientists have been conducting wide-ranging research to discover new ways to prevent and treat Alzheimer's and other dementia," said Maria Carrillo, the research and patient advocacy organisation's chief science officer and medical affairs lead.

"On behalf of the over 7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's and the thousands of evidence-based researchers who have dedicated their lives to eradicating this disease, I implore Sec Kennedy to stop repeating harmful myths about Alzheimer's research and instead start working with us and our bipartisan congressional champions to accelerate scientific progress in the fight against this devastating disease," she added.

The association has also come out in support of the amyloid hypothesis, which underpins the first approvals of the first disease-modifying drugs for Alzheimer's namely Eisai/Biogen's Leqembi (lecanemab) and Eli Lilly's Kisunla (donanemab).

While their clinical benefits are modest, they are "clinically meaningful," it says, and there is a hope that combination therapy with other drug classes could improve their efficacy and start to deliver additional benefits.

It also points out that amyloid treatment candidates have steadily improved in efficacy over more than a decade as advancements were made in understanding of the disease pathology, more accurate trial participant enrolment, earlier initiation of treatment, improving dosing strategies, and other factors.

At the hearing this week, Sen Susan Collins (R-Maine) – a longstanding champion of the Alzheimer's community – also raised concerns about the impact of NIH funding cuts on implementation of critical dementia programmes like BOLD, an awareness initiative that is credited with improving earlier diagnosis and prompting lifestyle changes that can help to stave off dementia.

The Alzheimer's Association said it "remains available to work with Sec. Kennedy, HHS and bipartisan congressional champions on BOLD and other public health initiatives that are focused on implementing effective Alzheimer's interventions and improving brain health in all communities."

https://pharmaphorum.com/news/rfk-jr-spreading-harmful-myths-alzheimers-research