Donanemab

Donanemab, sold under the brand name Kisunla, is a monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Donanemab was developed by Eli Lilly and Company.

The most common side effects include amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, which are brain hemorrhages and brain swelling, which can cause strokes, seizures, falls and trouble thinking. Brain hemorrhage and swelling occurred in 36.8% of patients taking donanemab and 14.9% of placebo patients. Headache and allergic reactions to the medication were other common side effects.

Donanemab was approved for medical use in the United States in July 2024. Most of the members of the FDA advisory panel had financial conflicts of interest. Treatment is intended for people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease, which is the same population the treatment was studied in the clinical trials. Several public interest groups spoke out in FDA hearings against approval of the drug.