Jon Hamilton

The differences are kind of subtle. The drug licanumab, its brand name is licembi. It was approved in early 2023. And it comes from the companies Acai and Biogen, two big pharmaceutical companies. And this drug requires an intravenous infusion twice a month for the first 18 months with the option then of switching to once a month after that. OK.

The other drug is known generically as dananamab as opposed to licanamab. And this drug is marketed in the U.S. as kasunla. It comes from the drug company Lilly. Patients who take kasunla get monthly infusions from the very start. And they can actually stop getting infusions once most of the amyloid plaque in their brain is gone, which usually takes a year, 18 months. Wow.

The other drug is known generically as dananamab as opposed to licanamab. And this drug is marketed in the U.S. as kasunla. It comes from the drug company Lilly. Patients who take kasunla get monthly infusions from the very start. And they can actually stop getting infusions once most of the amyloid plaque in their brain is gone, which usually takes a year, 18 months. Wow.

The other drug is known generically as dananamab as opposed to licanamab. And this drug is marketed in the U.S. as kasunla. It comes from the drug company Lilly. Patients who take kasunla get monthly infusions from the very start. And they can actually stop getting infusions once most of the amyloid plaque in their brain is gone, which usually takes a year, 18 months. Wow.

There are some downsides. I mean, both of these drugs are given by intravenous infusion, so they have to be given in a medical setting. But the big concern with both Casunla and Lekembe is that they can cause this swelling and bleeding in the brain. Oof. And these are side effects that don't usually cause symptoms. They're fairly rare.

There are some downsides. I mean, both of these drugs are given by intravenous infusion, so they have to be given in a medical setting. But the big concern with both Casunla and Lekembe is that they can cause this swelling and bleeding in the brain. Oof. And these are side effects that don't usually cause symptoms. They're fairly rare.

There are some downsides. I mean, both of these drugs are given by intravenous infusion, so they have to be given in a medical setting. But the big concern with both Casunla and Lekembe is that they can cause this swelling and bleeding in the brain. Oof. And these are side effects that don't usually cause symptoms. They're fairly rare.

But when they do, they can be serious and have been linked to several deaths.

But when they do, they can be serious and have been linked to several deaths.

But when they do, they can be serious and have been linked to several deaths.

Well, I mean, Alzheimer's itself is a fatal disease if something else doesn't kill you first. And, you know, it's a disease that many people in this country are more frightened of than cancer. So people who are living with Alzheimer's, they're often prepared to take risks. That was certainly the case with the first patient I profiled. Her name is Sue Bell.

Well, I mean, Alzheimer's itself is a fatal disease if something else doesn't kill you first. And, you know, it's a disease that many people in this country are more frightened of than cancer. So people who are living with Alzheimer's, they're often prepared to take risks. That was certainly the case with the first patient I profiled. Her name is Sue Bell.

Well, I mean, Alzheimer's itself is a fatal disease if something else doesn't kill you first. And, you know, it's a disease that many people in this country are more frightened of than cancer. So people who are living with Alzheimer's, they're often prepared to take risks. That was certainly the case with the first patient I profiled. Her name is Sue Bell.

She was one of the first people in the U.S. to get Lekembe because she was part of the clinical trial that led to the drug's approval. The second woman I profiled is on Casanla. She's a singer. Keep listening. You'll hear her do Amazing Grace in Spanish. I can't wait.

She was one of the first people in the U.S. to get Lekembe because she was part of the clinical trial that led to the drug's approval. The second woman I profiled is on Casanla. She's a singer. Keep listening. You'll hear her do Amazing Grace in Spanish. I can't wait.

She was one of the first people in the U.S. to get Lekembe because she was part of the clinical trial that led to the drug's approval. The second woman I profiled is on Casanla. She's a singer. Keep listening. You'll hear her do Amazing Grace in Spanish. I can't wait.

She can't work anymore, so she volunteers at a memory care unit, and you'll hear her talk about seeing her own future in the people that she takes care of.

She can't work anymore, so she volunteers at a memory care unit, and you'll hear her talk about seeing her own future in the people that she takes care of.

She can't work anymore, so she volunteers at a memory care unit, and you'll hear her talk about seeing her own future in the people that she takes care of.

Sue Bell started taking Lekembe in 2020 as part of a clinical trial. In 2023, when Sue was 71, she described her memory this way.