There Are 3 Groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Treatments on the Horizon—a Neurologist Explains How They Work By Emily Laurence Sardinha, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the biggest health threats of our time. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 7.4 million Americans 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. Of the total U.S. population, one in nine people over age 65 has Alzheimer’s. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments that extend cognitive health and delay symptoms from progressing as quickly. Dr. Rudy Tanzi, PhD, a neurology professor at Harvard, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and who is credited for discovering the first Alzheimer’s gene, explains that there are two prominent drugs currently being used for managing Alzheimer’s: Leqembi and Kisunla. Dr. Tanzi explains that these drugs work by targeting and clearing amyloid plaques in the brain, which are a hallmark of the disease. They are given through IV infusions and have been shown to moderately slow cognitive decline in people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. Related: 14 Specific Ways You May Be Able to Prevent Dementia, According to Neurologists Dr. Tanzi notes that one major downside of these drugs is that they are very expensive, costing between $26,500 and $32,000 a year. “Part of the reason why they are so expensive is that people taking them must get brain scans every one or two months to make sure there is no swelling happening in the brain,” he explains. Soon, these two expensive drugs may not be the only way Alzheimer’s is treated. There are a few groundbreaking new medical treatments that may soon become widely available, including one that Dr. Tanzi is helping develop.