A Newly Approved Alzheimer’s Drug Cleared Amyloid Plaques in a Florida Patient Scott Milinsky, a 79-year-old grandfather from Pompano Beach, Florida, received a diagnosis of early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, the same condition that had taken his father’s memory and life. Determined to pursue every available option, he became the second person in Florida to receive Kisunla (donanemab), an anti-amyloid infusion therapy developed by Eli Lilly and recently approved by the FDA. Over 18 months, Milinsky completed 18 infusions at Broward Health North’s Memory Disorder and Alzheimer’s Center. A follow-up PET scan then brought remarkable news: the treatment had cleared all detectable amyloid plaques from his brain. Physicians stress that Kisunla is not a complete cure. It does not address the tau tangles also linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, the removal of amyloid plaques has been shown to slow cognitive and functional decline, giving patients additional time and quality of life. Dr. Hazel Wiley, Milinsky’s physician, noted that clearing these plaques can help patients remain independent longer. Milinsky is now among more than 60 patients receiving the therapy at Broward Health. Clinical trial data support the potential of this approach. In a key study, donanemab produced substantial reductions in amyloid plaque levels on PET imaging, with many participants reaching amyloid-negative status. For Milinsky and others in similar circumstances, the outcome represents meaningful progress and renewed hope in the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease. [Mintun, M. A., Lo, R. N., Duggan Evans, C., et al. (2021). Donanemab in early Alzheimer’s disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(18), 1691–1704. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2100708]