4 ms·
> The slower decline with the drug was noticed using ratings of a person's symptoms. It's an 18-point scale, ranging from normal through to severe dementia. Tho
by ekianjo 4y ago
> The slower decline with the drug was noticed using ratings of a person's symptoms. It's an 18-point scale, ranging from normal through to severe dementia. Those getting the drug were 0.45 points better off.
marginal improvement for something that was administered every day? That's some ridiculously low levels of efficacy.
Certainly does not qualify for the ridiculous headline talking about "breakthrough". BBC, tabloid level again.
- swores 4y agoIt depends, but I think it's definitely a breakthrough since it's the first drug treatment after many years of people looking for a drug to treat it. I'm about to read about it now so I don't know whether it was discovered randomly or through actually understanding a mechanism they were creating a drug to target, but if the latter it would be a massive breakthrough potentially as it could signal that iterative work in the same area might lead to rapid improvement in the form of new drugs or even just by something like changing the dose in a way they've not yet tried. How is this not exciting? Breakthrough (and exciting) don't mean "this problem is solved fully". Or as the experts quoted in the article put it: 'Alzheimer's Research UK said the findings were "momentous".'
- ekianjo 4y ago> How is this not exciting? Breakthrough (and exciting) don't mean "this problem is solved fully". Breakthrough means making progress. 0.45 points over 18 months on a 18 points scale looks more like random noise than anything else, even if it's statistically significant