the FDA approved the first ever Alzheimer's treatment this week called La kembe that can slow the early progression of Alzheimer's the drug could mean more time for people with the disease to recognize loved ones and live independently but it's not without controversy as some doctors have pointed to life-threatening side effects like brain hemorrhages and bleeds I'm joined right now by Dr. Michal Schnaider Beeri director of the Alzheimer's Research Center at the Rutgers brain Health Institute to help us understand a little more about lakembi Dr Schnaider Beeri, thank you so much for being with us this is really a breakthrough in Alzheimer's treatment what can you tell us about the way that lekembe works so it's a monoclonal antibody for amyloid amyloid is a protein that Aggregates between brain cells between the neurons and it causes death of those neurons and the combi actually clears this amyloid out and what this clinical trial that have been published recently and now the approval by the FDA is based on the results of those clinical trials actually showing when you clear amyloid the decline of the patient with Alzheimer's disease is slower so the FDA did approve this but not without some concern raised by doctors what can you tell us about the risks versus the benefits of this drug so it's complex and I think that data that will come in in coming years is going to give us a better picture the effect on decline on cognitive decline or on memory decline is a small effect it's what's what we call statistically significant but it's a small effect there are Adverse Events some of them are reversible some of them are pretty bad the Adverse Events are called Arya and they're they reflect either inflammation of the brain or micro hemorrhages tiny little bleeds in the brain under certain circumstances don't can be those can become extremely dangerous for the patient and this is why there is some concern in terms of the risk benefit ratio doctors noted that in some cases there were deaths caused by the blame the brain bleeds there were some severe hemorrhages for those involved in the clinical trial what should a doctor be looking for in a patient to determine whether the benefits do outweigh the risks so yeah there there will be very clear criteria for who is eligible to receive this medication uh the basic criteria is that the person has to have amyloid in the brain so it's going to be either a pacity of the brain that shows amyloid or a spinal temp that will show a certain level of aloid that is required to assume the resembled in the brain and the person will have to have either mild cognitive impairment with amyloid so due to Alzheimer's disease or early Alzheimer's disease so people without mild cognitive impairment won't be eligible and people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's also won't be eligible in the same way there will be certain criteria in terms of medical conditions and I believe that people who are on blood thinners will not be allowed to take the medication yeah and of course we know that the doctors who do prescribe will also have to track the data that's that's one requirement Dr Michal Schnaider Beeri, thank you so much for giving us this insight very well, thank you [Music]