An Ethical Argument for Ending Human Trials of Amyloid-Lowering Therapies in Alzheimer's Disease

AJOB Neurosci. 2024 Apr-Jun;15(2):80-81. doi: 10.1080/21507740.2022.2129858. Epub 2022 Oct 5.

Abstract

Given the past two decades of over 40 failed trials of amyloid-lowering therapies in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), many of which succeeded in lowering amyloid as designed, we present an ethical argument for emptying the drug pipeline of tests of amyloid-lowering agents so as to end the historical dominance of the amyloid-reducing therapeutic approach in AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; clinical ethics; clinical trials; dementia; equipoise; research ethics.

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease* / drug therapy
  • Amyloid / therapeutic use
  • Amyloidogenic Proteins / therapeutic use
  • Humans

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Amyloidogenic Proteins