Biogen shakeup could shift Alzheimer's research

Background: The first Alzheimer's drug to win approval in about two decades, Aduhelm targeted a brain plaque called amyloid thought to contribute to the condition and spurred excitement and an intense advocacy push from patient groups.

• But it was panned within the medical community over unproven clinical benefits, serious side effects and $28,000 annual price tag.

Look ahead: Researchers now are evaluating a broader approach to target underlying pathologies of Alzheimer's.

• The could entail repurposing old drugs for other conditions, like bumetanide, a diuretic that's been shown to reverse signs of the disease in mice and human cells in labs.
• "More than three in four of today's Alzheimer's clinical trials are testing treatments that work on non-amyloid targets, like inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and genetic alterations," said Howard Fillit, co-founder and chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.