Who is a candidate for monoclonal antibodies for Alzheimer’s disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Aduhelm is a type of drug called a monoclonal antibody, and it’s used to remove some of the aberrant proteins thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease. Lolita Nidadavolu, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, says there is much to consider when someone thinks they may be a candidate for these drugs.

Nidadavolu: It’s a very individualized question to ask someone about side effects when it comes to prevention of dementia and I think that's really a big issue that's come up with these monoclonal antibodies. For example you're talking about bleeding in the brain as a side effect from these monoclonal antibodies but at the same time people are really trying to do whatever they can to reduce their risk of further developing memory loss. That really is more of an individualized choice for some of the side effects potentially from these medicines.  :30

Nidadavolu notes that many people are terrified of developing dementia and may undertake risky strategies to mitigate their risk, without considering side effects. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.