Yesterday was my colleague Collin Leonard's final day. You'll know him from his colorful and often funny coverage of Utah's mysterious desert monolith, thrill-seeking special ops veterans and world-famous Latter-day Saint DJ's.
Here's his final story on why fly fishing might just be the most complicated hobby in the world. Thanks Collin!
FDA grants full approval to Leqembi, first drug to slow progress of Alzheimer’s
Ren Willie, 80, is a former junior high resource and health teacher living in Murray, Utah. A year ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that over time destroys mental functions including memory. His doctor put him on a couple of different medications that seem to help symptoms and mood, but won’t slow the disease.
So he and his wife of 45 years, Jane Willie, were among Alzheimer’s patients and their families paying close attention Thursday when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced full approval of lecanemab for early-stage Alzheimer’s. It’s the first drug shown to delay the progression of the disease.
“Today’s action is the first verification that a drug targeting the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s disease has shown clinical benefit in this devastating illness,” said Teresa Baracchio, acting director of the Office of Neuroscience in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a written statement. “This confirmatory study verified that it is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”
The approval came with a warning on the drug’s label, noting that in rare cases there have been “serious and life-threatening events.”
The national Alzheimer’s Association heralded the decision in a press release.
“This treatment, while not a cure, can give people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s more time to maintain their independence and do the things they love,” said Joanne Pike, Alzheimer’s Association president and CEO. “This gives people more months of recognizing their spouse, children and grandchildren. This also means more time for a person to drive safely, accurately and promptly take care of family finances, and participate fully in hobbies and interests.”
It’s not clear that Ren will qualify, and his doctor may not ever prescribe it, the Willies told the Deseret News. Or that he would choose to take the drug, which has the potential for significant side effects. But they feel strongly that medications approved by the FDA should be available, the decision between doctor, patient and pocketbook. Those with Alzheimer’s typically look to Medicare for help with costs.
Read more about how the new drug functions and its long road to Medicare coverage.
At a conference hosted by Braver Angels, a nonprofit devoted to bridging America's partisan divide, Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the Book of Mormon can help us do just that.
“My strong belief is that a loving Heavenly Father revealed this heart wrenching history, in part, so we don’t repeat it,” Elder Corbitt said at the 2023 Braver Angels National Convention on Thursday, referring to the social and political divisions described in the Book of Mormon.
Noting how power struggles arose between peoples of different colors and cultures, Elder Corbitt underscored the teachings in the text that “(God) denieth none that come unto Him, black and white, bond and free, male and female … and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.”
Failing to live out such calls to unity results in “ideological and political divisiveness,” and, in the Book of Mormon, “a catastrophic civil war,” Elder Corbitt said. He expressed hope that such history would serve as a warning that Americans would not “repeat it.”
An eclectic array of speakers and panelists slated to speak during the conference included authors Monica Guzman and Ian Rowe, former director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins, U.S. Rep Dean Phillips, D-Minn., and Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, among others.
“If someone were trying to put into action what President Nelson has been teaching us about peacemaking, I believe it would look an awful lot like Braver Angels,” said Thomas B. Griffith, a retired federal judge and a fellow of Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute, who was in attendance for Elder Corbitt’s remarks.
Read more about Elder Corbitt's call for American's to be "peacemakers."
More in Faith
Derek Monson, William Duncan and Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen: Changing the narrative on religion and the LGBTQ community (Deseret News)
Inside ‘The Chosen’ creator Dallas Jenkins’ mission to portray the ‘authentic Jesus’ (Deseret News)
New exhibit of famous Latter-day Saint artist opens at the Church History Museum (Deseret News)
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Health
High BMI may not be linked to early death, study finds (Deseret News)
Dirty bedding can have far more bacteria than toilet seats and pet bowls (Fox News)
Politics
‘Bidenomics’: Can Biden win in 2024 by focusing on the economy? (Deseret News)
Q&A: The co-founder of Moms for Liberty, in her own words (Deseret News)
Asma Uddin: What Montgomery County schools should have learned from the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision (Deseret News)
Education
Meet Elizabeth Grant, superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District (Deseret News)
Kids learning cursive again: Utah Board of Education seeks feedback for updating core standards (KSL)
Environment and Technology
Utah’s FORGE geothermal site proves it’s more than just wishing wells (Deseret News)
Meta officially launches Threads — how are people on Twitter reacting? (Deseret News)
Utah and Kane Counties
More than 100K fentanyl pills worth more than $1 million seized in Utah County (KSL)
Kanab High School set to receive air conditioning through federal program (KSL)
The West
Impeached Texas AG used a trust, paid cash for land in Utah ski town (Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)
Ex-Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers says he’s spoken to FBI in 2020 election probe (Hill)