Signals
11Frontotemporal dementia therapy programs reach late-stage trials
Progranulin-replacement therapy in GRN-mutation FTD, ASO programs in C9orf72 FTD-ALS, and tau-targeted programs are emerging in a previously bare category.
Chronic neuropathic pain therapy reshapes around novel sodium channel mechanisms
Suzetrigine (Nav1.8 inhibitor) acute pain approval and follow-on Nav1.8 and Nav1.7 programs in chronic pain are reshaping non-opioid pain management.
Stroke prevention restructures across atrial fibrillation, lipids, and acute window
Factor XIa inhibitors entering late-stage trials, expanded thrombectomy windows, and tenecteplase displacement of alteplase are restructuring stroke prevention and acute care.
Genetically-targeted Parkinson's programs reach pivotal data
LRRK2 inhibitors and GBA-targeted programs in Parkinson's disease are reading out as the first genetically-defined Parkinson's therapy options.
Donanemab's limited-duration treatment paradigm is reshaping the lifetime cost calculation against lecanemab
Donanemab's protocol stops dosing once amyloid clearance is achieved, typically 12-18 months. Lecanemab is continuous indefinitely. Over a 10-year treatment horizon, the implied lifetime cost difference is substantial.
Gantenerumab post-mortem: what the failure tells the field about Abeta-targeting
The gantenerumab phase 3 readout failure is a useful data point for understanding what differentiates the successful anti-amyloid antibody class from the unsuccessful programs. The implications for next-generation amyloid-targeting and adjacent neurodegeneration pipeline are material.
The "clinically meaningful" debate around CDR-SB is not settling
The interpretive argument over whether a sub-half-point CDR-SB delta represents a clinically meaningful slowing of decline continues to shape regulatory, payer, and clinician views.
Donanemab introduces a finite-duration treatment model
Donanemab's protocol allows treatment cessation once amyloid plaque clearance is confirmed - a meaningfully different model from indefinite biologic dosing.
GLP-1 receptor agonists enter Alzheimer's clinical trials
Phase 3 readouts on semaglutide in Alzheimer's are due, with mechanistic interest in metabolic, vascular, and inflammatory pathways.
FDA's accelerated approval pathway under continued post-Aduhelm scrutiny
Aducanumab's voluntary withdrawal in 2024 left lasting institutional caution about surrogate-endpoint approvals in neurodegeneration.
Tau-targeting programs advance behind the amyloid wave
Anti-tau immunotherapies and small molecules are progressing through mid-stage trials, with the field watching for the first credible clinical signal.
Snapshots
5Anti-amyloid antibody landscape, 2026 mid-year reference
A dated reference snapshot of the anti-amyloid antibody class for Alzheimer's disease as of mid-2026: approved products, withdrawn products, late-stage pipeline, label-defining clinical evidence, and the operational pattern that defines the class.
What we are watching in Alzheimer's, as of Q2 2026
A reference list of the threads PatientSpotlight is actively tracking - clinical readouts, regulatory and reimbursement decisions, real-world evidence accumulation, and operational rollout. Each thread names what to watch and why it matters, without predicting when it will resolve.
Alzheimer's drug development pipeline, as of Q2 2026
A reference view of the late-stage Alzheimer's pipeline as of Q2 2026 - tau-directed programs, GLP-1 receptor agonists, neuroinflammation, synaptic and neuronal resilience, and genetic/protein-clearance approaches.
Clinical trial endpoints in Alzheimer's disease, as of Q2 2026
A reference view of the cognitive, functional, and biomarker endpoints used in late-stage Alzheimer's trials - what each measures and how to read a readout that uses it.
Disease-modifying therapies in Alzheimer's, as of Q2 2026
Two anti-amyloid antibodies have traditional FDA approval; subcutaneous formulations are advancing; the post-amyloid pipeline is portfolio-shaped.
Explained
5What are GLP-1 receptor agonists, and why are they being tested in Alzheimer's?
GLP-1 receptor agonists are a class of drugs originally developed for type 2 diabetes and now widely used for obesity. The class is now in late-stage Alzheimer's trials. The mechanistic case spans metabolic, vascular, inflammatory, and direct neuronal pathways - and the access shape would be very different from anti-amyloid therapy.
What is iADRS, and how is it different from CDR-SB?
iADRS - the Integrated Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale - is a composite endpoint that combines a cognitive score (ADAS-Cog) with a functional score (ADCS-iADL) into a single number. It is the primary endpoint donanemab used in its pivotal trial and is reported alongside CDR-SB in many late-stage Alzheimer's programs. It answers a slightly different question than CDR-SB does.
What is the FDA accelerated approval pathway, and why does it matter for Alzheimer's?
Accelerated approval is a 1992 FDA regulatory pathway that lets a drug come to market based on a surrogate endpoint reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, with a confirmatory trial obligated to follow. In Alzheimer's, the pathway is closely associated with the aducanumab episode and a recalibrated bar for what surrogate evidence the agency now considers persuasive.
What is CDR-SB, and what does a small change on it actually mean?
CDR-SB is the Clinical Dementia Rating - Sum of Boxes, the cognitive and functional scale used as the primary endpoint in most late-stage Alzheimer's trials. It is a six-box, 0–18 scale, scored by a clinician from a structured interview with the patient and a caregiver.
What are anti-amyloid antibodies, and how do they work?
A plain-language explanation of the disease-modifying drug class that defines the current Alzheimer's treatment landscape.