Promising new Alzheimer's drugs may benefit whites more than Blacks

Barrington and Vickie Riley pose at the Emory University Brain Health Center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., July 12, 2023. The Riley's, who have been married more than 35 years, participated in the Charlie and Harriet Shaffer Cognitive Empowerment Program. Barrington Riley has mild cognitive impairment. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer's disease that work by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain may benefit whites more than Black Americans, whose disease may be driven by other factors, leading Alzheimer's experts told Reuters.

The two drugs – Leqembi, from partner biotech firms Eisai and Biogen, and an experimental treatment developed by Eli Lilly, donanemab - are the first to offer real hope of slowing the fatal disease for the 6.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's.