Minnesotans battling Alzheimer's Disease now getting promising new treatment

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Sixty-year-old Kathy Ingebrand sat in a chair in the Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology, getting her 4th monthly infusion of a promising new drug. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the fall of 2023.  It remains to be seen if the damage to her brain can be slowed, but it’s clear she’s already felt a huge boost to her mental health.

"Well, it’s just a new beginning of hope," she told us. "And what else can you do if you have a disease like this?"

Drug targets proteins that damage brain cells

What it is: The drug is called Kisunla and is given in monthly 30-minute infusions. In its clinical trials, it showed a clear effect on the study group versus the placebo group in the progression of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

What it does: Kisunla targets the abnormal proteins that accumulate in the brain that are called amyloids, sometimes referred to as plaque, that cause brain cells to lose function and die.

Clinical trials showed clear changes

By the numbers: There are two key statistics that give doctors and patients a lot of optimism about its potential.

First is a slowing of decline of mental and cognitive functions of up to 35%.

Second is a reduction of the damaging amyloid plaques in study participants by an average of 84% after 18 months.

Alzheimer's symptoms may go unnoticed at first

Local perspective: In the case of Kathy Ingebrand, she said the first clues of her decline were easy to pass off.

"The little things of ‘Ok, I wear glasses, I lose them,’" she told us. "But so does everyone else. You know, all these people on cheaters, they have ten pairs!"

But then, the woman who loves to cook would start forgetting to put ingredients in recipes, only to discover her mistakes when things didn’t taste right.

Then, there was the time at the cabin when she lost her phone and her husband scoured the lake looking for it.  She wound up replacing it, then found it in the suitcase she’d already searched a number of times.

She initially blamed her forgetfulness on menopause.  But after her family told her it may be something more, tests confirmed early onset Alzheimer’s.

Doctors say this is a game changer

Kathy is among the first dozen or so patients to receive Kisunla at the Minneapolis Clinic of Neurology.

Its director, Dr. Elias Bazakos, says this treatment is not a cure.  The damage cannot be undone.  But it can significantly slow or even stop the progression.

"Many achieve a plateau where their symptoms will stop progressing for years," they told FOX 9.  "A small number of patients will actually improve after the amyloid gets cleared out of their brain."

"Every neurologist should be excited."

What to know about Kisunla

Who can get it: The drug is one of two currently approved to treat early stage Alzheimer’s patients.   Depending on your health plan, insurance companies should cover it.  It is also available under Medicare.

What’s next: Dr. Bazakos says this is a step towards creating even better treatments.  And he hopes what they learn from how patients respond, it may give researchers more insight into the causes.

As for patients, just the hope of slowing it all down is a huge boost to mental health.

"It made a world of difference," says Kathy.  "It really opened my mind and heart of thinking that something’s going to change and I"m going to be alright."