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Alzheimer’s ‘wonder drug’ slows progression of disease by four years - and could even reverse it
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1st Aug 2025 - The Independent
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An Alzheimer’s “wonder drug” can delay the progression of the disease by four years, according to a new study.
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Researchers found that patients who were given the drug lecanemab in the earliest days of their disease reported an improvement, or no decline at all, in cognitive function.
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The trial of 478 patients who stayed on the drug for four years saw their dementia score rise by an average of 1.75 over the whole period - a score significantly lower than the average rise of one or two points over one year.
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Almost one million people in the UK suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer’s the most common form of the disease. Urgent demand for new treatments is increasing as the number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
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Why Resident Doctors Are Demanding 29%—And Why It Matters
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The recent call by the BMA for a real-terms pay restoration for resident doctors has reignited debate over how the NHS values its training-grade workforce. The demand—a 29% increase to reverse the erosion of pay since 2008—is not a sudden or opportunistic ask. It's the culmination of over a decade of quiet financial attrition, now reaching a breaking point in a workforce exhausted by COVID-19, staffing shortages, and relentless service pressures.
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At the heart of this dispute is a fundamental question: what does the NHS believe its junior doctors are worth?
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Pay Restoration vs Pay Rise
Some commentators have mischaracterised the 29% figure as an unrealistic pay hike. In truth, it reflects the cumulative decline in real-terms pay since 2008, as calculated by independent economic analysis. Between 2008 and 2022, junior doctors’ salaries declined by approximately 26% when adjusted for inflation, one of the steepest losses in the public sector.