A Rutgers neurologist William T. Hu is available to discuss the new drug, Aduhelm, approved by the Food and Drugs Administration to treat Alzheimer’s.

“While there is still a lot of work to be done in understanding this drug, we are entering a new era of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, which may be beneficial to many patients,” said Hu, an associate professor and chief of cognitive neurology at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a researcher at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research.

“We must note that because the drug specifically targets the brain’s amyloid protein, it should only be given to people with “biomarker-confirmed” Alzheimer’s disease. This means that, in addition to a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by a physician, additional spinal fluid testing or PET scan is necessary before the drug is prescribed.”

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Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) takes an integrated approach to educating students, providing clinical care and conducting research, all with the goal of improving human health. Aligned with Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and collaborating university-wide, RBHS includes eight schools, a behavioral health network and four centers and institutes. RBHS offers an outstanding education in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, nursing, biomedical research and the full spectrum of allied health careers. RBHS clinical and academic facilities are located throughout the state.