WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — For the first time in almost two decades, there’s a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
For Grace-Ann Ferguson pictures act as puzzle pieces.
“Because you don’t know what the future is going to look like,” Ferguson said.
Right now she’s focused on piecing together the present for one of the most special women in her life, her mother, 70-year-old Brenda Campbell.
“She is a strict, hardworking, disciplined person,” Ferguson said.
She is battling a debilitating disease.
“When you finally got the stamp of the word Alzheimer’s it solidified what was going on,” she said.
Dr. Arif Dalvi is the Director of the Memory Center at Palm Beach Neuroscience Institute.
“Are we seeing more Alzheimer’s cases,” WPTV reporter Sabirah Rayford asked.
“Yes, for the simple reason our population is aging,” Dr. Dalvi said.
On Monday, for the first time in 18 years, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug to treat the disease.
“The name of the drug is Aducanumab and the goal of the medication is to try to remove amyloid plaque from the brain and thereby slow the progression of the condition,” he said.
Still, Dr. Dalvi said it’s not a solution, and prescribing it will require proper screening and a wrap-around full treatment plan, but he’s optimistic.
“I think this is a ray of hope. I think it is an important first step and we can build on this for the future,” Dr. Dalvi said.
Ferguson is looking forward to piecing together the puzzle of hope.
“One step, one moment at a time. One memory at a time,” she said.
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