2023年01月10日 VOA慢速英语:新药可以减缓阿尔茨海默氏症,但不能治愈
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    New Drug Slows Alzheimer's, But Not a Cure
    新药可以减缓阿尔茨海默氏症,但不能治愈

     
     
    United States health officials last week approved a new Alzheimer's drug. The drug, called Leqembi, is the first to slow the decline in memory by several months.
    美国卫生官员上周批准了一种新的阿尔茨海默氏症药物。这种名为 Leqembi 的药物是第一种可以将记忆力下降减缓几个月的药物。
     
    The Alzheimer's Association describes Alzheimer's as a brain disease that causes a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.
    阿尔茨海默氏症协会将阿尔茨海默氏症描述为一种导致记忆力、思维和推理能力下降的脑部疾病。
     
    One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's disease is forgetting recently learned information or dates and events. People with the disease have difficulty doing things that they did before. Some may struggle with joining or following a discussion.
    阿尔茨海默病最常见的症状之一是忘记最近学到的信息或日期和事件。患有这种疾病的人很难做他们以前做过的事情。有些人可能难以加入或关注讨论。
     
    The newly approved Leqembi is a long-needed new treatment for the disease.
    新批准的 Leqembi 是一种长期需要的治疗该疾病的新疗法。
     
    But experts warn that the drug is not a cure.
    但专家警告说,这种药物并不能治愈。
     
    Dr. Joy Snider is a brain doctor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She said, "This drug is not a cure. It doesn't stop people from getting worse, but it does measurably slow the progression of the disease." She added, "That might mean someone could have an extra six months to a year of being able to drive."
    Joy Snider 博士是密苏里州圣路易斯华盛顿大学的一名脑科医生。她说,“这种药不能治愈。它不会阻止人们变得更糟,但它确实可以显着减缓疾病的进展。” 她补充说,“这可能意味着有人可以额外六个月到一年的时间来开车。”
     
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug through a speedier-than-usual process. The process permits drugs to be launched based on early results.
    美国食品和药物管理局 (FDA) 通过比以往更快的流程批准了该药物。该过程允许根据早期结果推出药物。
     
    The drug is only for early-stage patients and requires an injection by healthcare workers every two weeks. It is not yet clear how much the drug can help people with the disease. There are also concerns about its safety.
    该药物仅适用于早期患者,需要医护人员每两周注射一次。目前尚不清楚这种药物对患有这种疾病的人有多大帮助。也有人担心它的安全性。
     
    Still, "it's a landmark," said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging. "It's not enough, but it's encouraging that there's something we can do," he added.
    尽管如此,“这是一个里程碑,”国家老龄化研究所所长理查德霍兹博士说。“这还不够,但令人鼓舞的是我们可以做一些事情,”他补充道。
     
    How does the new drug work?
    新药是如何起作用的?
     
    Leqembi is made by Japan's Eisai and its U.S. partner Biogen. The drug is designed to target and clear away beta-amyloid, a substance that builds up in the brain and leads to Alzheimer's.
    Leqembi 由日本卫材及其美国合作伙伴百健(Biogen)生产。该药物旨在靶向并清除β-淀粉样蛋白,这是一种在大脑中积聚并导致阿尔茨海默氏症的物质。
     
    Dr. Sam Gandy is an Alzheimer's expert at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. He told the Associated Press that Leqembi targets a slightly different form of amyloid than other drugs that have sought to treat the disease. That might explain why Leqembi proved to be successful while many other experimental drugs have failed.
    Sam Gandy 博士是纽约西奈山医院的老年痴呆症专家。他告诉美联社,与其他试图治疗这种疾病的药物相比,Leqembi 靶向的淀粉样蛋白形式略有不同。这或许可以解释为什么 Leqembi 被证明是成功的,而许多其他实验药物都失败了。
     
    In 2021, U.S. health officials approved a similar drug named Aduhelm, even though studies never proved it really helped patients. The move led to criticism after a congressional investigation.
    2021 年,美国卫生官员批准了一种名为 Aduhelm 的类似药物,尽管研究从未证明它确实对患者有帮助。此举在国会调查后招致批评。
     
    How effective is Leqembi?
    Leqembi 有多有效?
     
    In Eisai's 18-month study of nearly 1,800 people, Leqembi appeared to delay early-stage patients from getting worse by about five months.
    在卫材对近 1,800 人进行的为期 18 个月的研究中,Leqembi 似乎可以将早期患者的病情恶化推迟大约五个月。
     
    The study measured people on an 18-point scale that follows their mental and functional abilities. People who got the drug still worsened but not as quickly as those given an inactive substance. The difference was nearly half a point on that scale by the study's end.
    该研究以 18 分制衡量人们的心理和功能能力。服用这种药物的人病情仍然恶化,但没有服用非活性物质的人那么快。到研究结束时,这一比例的差异几乎是半个百分点。
     
    Experts are divided over how meaningful the difference is.
    专家们对差异的意义存在分歧。
     
    Dr. Matthew Schrag is a neurology researcher at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He said, "Most patients won't notice the difference."
    Matthew Schrag 博士是田纳西州范德比尔特大学的神经病学研究员。他说,“大多数患者不会注意到差异。”
     
    Schrag and some other researchers believe a meaningful improvement would require at least a difference of one full point on the 18-point scale.
    施拉格和其他一些研究人员认为,有意义的改进至少需要在 18 分制上相差一个满分。
     
    Others say slowing the disease early on - when people still function well - is important.
    其他人说,在人们仍能正常工作的时候尽早减缓这种疾病很重要。
     
    Hodes, the director of the National Institute of Aging, said, "Several months with better cognition, what's that worth to you?"
    美国国家老龄化研究所所长霍德斯说,“认知能力提高几个月,对你来说有什么价值?”
     
    He added, "I think there you can get a strong argument: If I can interact with my family, be independent for months ... that's a very meaningful outcome."
    他补充说,“我认为你可以得到一个强有力的论据:如果我能与家人互动,独立几个月……那将是一个非常有意义的结果。”
    What are the risks?
    有什么风险?
     
    Like other amyloid-targeting medications, Leqembi can cause brain swelling or small brain bleeds. In Eisai's study, 13 percent of drug recipients had swelling, and 17 percent has small brain bleeds.
    与其他淀粉样蛋白靶向药物一样,Leqembi 可引起脑肿胀或小脑出血。在卫材的研究中,13% 的药物接受者有肿胀,17% 有少量脑出血。
     
    The likely reason for this is that amyloid plaques usually form around nerve cells in the brain but sometimes they get inside blood vessels, too.
    可能的原因是淀粉样斑块通常在大脑神经细胞周围形成,但有时它们也会进入血管内部。
     
    Several Leqembi users died while taking the drug, including two people who were on blood-thinning medications. Eisai has said its Alzheimer's drug did not cause their deaths.
    几名 Leqembi 使用者在服药期间死亡,其中包括两名服用血液稀释药物的人。卫材表示其阿尔茨海默氏症药物并未导致他们死亡。
     
    But Gandy, the Alzheimer's expert, said the greatest risk of serious bleeding would be among Leqembi users who take blood thinners. Older adults commonly take blood thinners to prevent or treat strokes.
    但阿尔茨海默病专家甘迪表示,严重出血的最大风险是服用血液稀释剂的 Leqembi 使用者。老年人通常服用血液稀释剂来预防或治疗中风。
     
    Patients also may experience reactions from the drug that could include high body temperature, an upset stomach and changes in blood pressure.
    患者也可能会出现药物反应,包括体温升高、胃部不适和血压变化。
     
    Eisai says the drug should be available by January 23. A year's worth of treatment is expected to cost $26,500. If insurance companies cover the drug, however, most people will not have to pay anywhere near that much.
    Eisai 表示该药物应该在 1 月 23 日之前上市。预计一年的治疗费用为 26,500 美元。然而,如果保险公司承保这种药物,大多数人将不必支付那么多的费用。
     
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