Alzheimer's: The Casula Polyclinic is the new frontier of treatment on the island.
First infusion of Donanemab, an innovative monoclonal antibody that slows cognitive decline, performed
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A major step forward in the treatment of Alzheimer 's disease at the Duilio Casula Polyclinic . The first infusion of Donanemab , an innovative monoclonal antibody that slows cognitive decline , was performed at the Neurology Day Hospital, directed by Professor Monica Puligheddu. The therapy was administered by the team at the Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia (CDCD), coordinated by Dr. Gianluca Floris and Dr. Laura Fadda. The treatment was made possible thanks to the hospital's Diagnostic Therapeutic Care Pathway (PDTA), which involves a multidisciplinary team from Neurology, Radiology, Laboratory Analysis, and the hospital Pharmacy.
NEW DRUGS – In recent years, explains Professor Monica Puligheddu, "two new drugs for Alzheimer's disease, Donanemab and Lecanemab , have been approved in various countries around the world and in 2025 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). These are monoclonal antibodies that target a protein fragment known as amyloid , which is deposited in the brain in the early stages of the disease. These two drugs represent the first approved therapies capable of targeting the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease, slowing cognitive decline, while not definitively halting the progression of the disease."
WHEN TO ADMINISTER – Donanemab and Lecanemab, adds neurologist Gianluca Floris, head of the CDCD at the Duilio Casula Polyclinic, "can only be administered in the early stages of the disease and after precise diagnostics based on advanced laboratory and imaging techniques, with appropriate patient selection criteria, and only in a hospital setting, with periodic check-ups. For this reason, a multidisciplinary approach is essential. The PDTA at the AOU Cagliari, in fact, guarantees patients a highly specialized diagnostic and therapeutic process in conditions of maximum safety , confirming the complexity of Alzheimer's disease and the high level of care required."
Donanemab, Floris continues, "was administered on a compassionate basis after the necessary process, because, although it had been authorized by the Italian Medicines Agency, it is awaiting reimbursement review." "Compassionate use" means free access to the drug therapy through direct and free supply from the drug manufacturer, before the Italian Medicines Agency authorizes its marketing.
(Unioneonline/vl)
