Donanemab is Lilly's new investigational medicine for Alzheimer’s disease . Donanemab is an immunotherapy drug that slows down the rate at which memory and thinking skills decline; this means that Alzheimer’s disease does not progress as quickly compared to patients who do not take Donanemab. When Alzheimer’s patients have been taking this medicine, they are able to continue daily activities and hobbies for a longer time as the rate of decline in their memory and thinking skills is slowed. 

Is donanemab available yet?

Donanemab is not available yet, as FDA approval has not yet been applied for.  It is still an investigational medicine that has undergone clinical trials, and Lilly is thought to be planning to file for FDA approval in the coming months.

Results of the randomized phase 2 trial called TRAILBLAZER-ALZ, using this medicine for Alzheimer's disease, has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Donanemab is given as an infusion into your vein (IV infusion) every 4 weeks.

What is the brand name of donanemab?

As donanemab is not an approved medicine yet we do not know the brand name. We do know that when it was first being investigated in clinical trials it was given the development code name LY3002813.

Who will be able to use this medicine?

The studies for donanemab have been done on patients with early stage Alzheimer’s disease. It is thought that it may not be effective for people who already have moderate to severe Alzheimers’s disease.  When this medicine becomes approved by the FDA we will know which Alzheimer’s patients will be able to be prescribed to.