In its ruthless pursuit of profit, the pharmaceutical industry has long promoted so-called ‘miracle drugs’ that claim to offer solutions to some of the major killer diseases of our time. Lecanemab, a new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, is one such treatment, having been relentlessly hyped in the mainstream/legacy media as supposedly being ‘the beginning of the end’ for dementia. But emerging research has just revealed the disturbing reality behind this drug: it can potentially triple a patient’s risk of death.
Previous studies have claimed that lecanemab could slow the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer’s by 25 percent, essentially giving patients a few additional months before the disease takes hold. Yet, behind this optimistic façade, new research reveals that those taking the drug face a threefold increased risk of death within a year of commencing treatment.
Severe side effects, small benefit
Reflecting growing suspicions about lecanemab, the UK medicines spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), has announced that it cannot recommend spending public money to fund the drug’s use. Citing “relatively small benefits” that, it said, do not justify the treatment’s staggering annual cost of over $25,000 per patient, it concluded that lecanemab “cannot be considered good value” for taxpayers. Nevertheless, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has still licensed the drug, thus making it available to patients who can afford to pay for it privately.
Lecanemab is given by intravenous infusion and functions by targeting amyloid, a protein found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. But its side effects can be severe. Patients taking the drug have suffered from brain swelling and bleeding, with as many as 1 in 10 experiencing these problems in clinical trials. At least three trial participants have died, including Genevieve Lane, a 79-year-old lady from Florida, who experienced a fatal seizure shortly after receiving her third dose of the treatment. As a result, doctors are increasingly questioning whether lecanemab’s risks are worth its supposed benefits.
Despite the serious nature of these side effects, lecanemab’s manufacturer, the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, has continued to defend the drug, arguing that the new findings have not yet been peer-reviewed. But this will ultimately only delay taking the necessary action to protect patients from what is very clearly a dangerous drug with potentially lethal effects.
A paradigm shift
The Dr. Rath Health Foundation has long warned about the dangers of the pharmaceutical industry’s profit-driven approach to chronic disease. For more than a century, drug companies have essentially marketed many of their treatments as ‘miracle’ cures. Time and again, however, far from being solutions, such medications invariably result in increased suffering and premature deaths.
In contrast, rather than focusing on synthetic chemical treatments with highly questionable safety profiles, science-based nutritional and Cellular Medicine therapies offer a glimpse into the future of medicine. Evidence clearly demonstrates that micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, play crucial roles in maintaining cognitive health and preventing the progression of Alzheimer’s.
It’s time for a paradigm shift. Instead of pouring billions into drugs that offer scant benefits and severe side effects, governments should prioritize preventive health solutions that are rooted in nutritional science. By empowering patients with knowledge about micronutrient-based therapies, we can begin to create a world where health is no longer determined by pharmaceutical profit margins, but by natural, effective health solutions that can be trusted by all.
