CLEVELAND — A new treatment is giving hope to those battling a debilitating disease.
This week, the FDA granted accelerated approval for the drug Aducanumab, which is said to help slow the progression of early-onset Alzheimer’s. An additional post-approval trial is still needed to prove the effectiveness of the drug, but families fighting to keep their loved ones’ memories alive are excited for the hope the medicine provides.
“We were kind of nervous about the approval, whether it was gonna happen on Monday,” said Colleetta DeChant. “And we’re still kind of like, ‘wow’.”
Colleetta and her husband, Ron, are proud parents with albums upon albums of family photos.
“Our kids laugh at us,” she said. “But every time someone comes around, they’re like pulling out the albums.”
Lately, the albums are getting a lot more use.
“We go through them a lot when we’re talking about people,” Colleetta said. “Look at the picture, remember when we were there with them. So, it’s helpful. We pull them out all the time.”
The trips down memory lane help exercise Ron’s brain.
“It’s a crazy problem,” he said. “It really is.”
The problem is Alzheimer’s.
“When I heard that name I thought, ‘I’m too young to have Alzheimer’s,’” he said. “Give me a break, you know? It’s like, that’s for old people.”
He’s been battling it for years and has participated in a clinical trial for Aducanumab since 2016. He’s now receiving the highest dose of 10 milligrams by infusion once a month.
Possible side effects for the drug can include headaches, dizziness and nausea among others, according to the FDA.
But Ron has been lucky.
“Sometimes a little foggy the next day, I notice,” Colleetta said. “But otherwise, he does very well.”
“Yeah, you kind of get a foggy brain syndrome kind of thing,” Ron said. “It’s like almost you can feel it. I can feel it.”
The accelerated FDA approval of the drug has gained the support of more than a million Alzheimer’s Association supporters, said Lindsay Walker, executive director of the organization’s Cleveland Area Chapter.
“This is the first time that there’s actually a drug that is attacking the amyloids and that is the sticky plaque that is in your brain when you are diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s,” she said.
The DeChants have grown their love for each other through more than 40 years of marriage.
“In sickness and in health,” Colleetta said. “Till death do us part. And we’ve kind of lived that.”
The couple is hopeful to play a part in putting a stop to the disease.
“I just think this was for us,” she said. “We needed to do it.”
“Yep,” Ron agreed.
“We make it the best that we can every day. And keep on going. Keep on going.”
