Japan approves drug to treat Alzheimer's disease

Japan's health ministry has officially approved the domestic production and sale of a new drug for Alzheimer's disease.

Donanemab was developed by U.S. pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly. The ministry gave the greenlight on October 1, after a panel of experts endorsed the drug last month.

Donanemab is an antibody drug designed to slow the progression of dementia symptoms, by removing plaques of amyloid beta protein in the patient's brain.

An excessive buildup of the protein is said to result in the destruction of nerve cells. Donanemab will be available to people with mild cognitive impairment, or those in the early stage of dementia.

Donanemab is the second Alzheimer's drug to be approved in Japan that directly targets a specific cause of the disease. The first drug, lecanemab, was approved last year.