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Aducanumab (Marketed as Aduhelm) Approval Is Likely Based on Misinterpretation of PET Imaging Data
Høilund-Carlsen PF, Alavi A.. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 2021-01-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
According to the FDA, aducanumab (Aduhelm), the recently approved anti-Alzheimer drug, reduces the level of cerebral amyloid plaques-a hallmark finding in patients with Alzheimer's disease-and this will result in a reduction in clinical decline. The authors of this article are not convinced that amyloid deposits are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and are of the opinion that the apparent reduction in amyloid accumulation following aducanumab treatment is likely instead a result of continued and advanced cerebral cell death and, thus, not a sign of improvement but of an even more advanced disease.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Høilund-Carlsen, P. F., & Alavi, A. (2021). Aducanumab (Marketed as Aduhelm) Approval Is Likely Based on Misinterpretation of PET Imaging Data. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-215275
Vancouver
Høilund-Carlsen PF, Alavi A. Aducanumab (Marketed as Aduhelm) Approval Is Likely Based on Misinterpretation of PET Imaging Data. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2021. doi:10.3233/jad-215275. PMID: 34657891.
BibTeX
@article{hoilundcarlsen2021-34657891,
author = {Høilund-Carlsen, P. F. and Alavi, A.},
title = {{Aducanumab (Marketed as Aduhelm) Approval Is Likely Based on Misinterpretation of PET Imaging Data}},
journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3233/jad-215275},
pmid = {34657891},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-215275}
}
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Key findings
- The authors of this article are not convinced that amyloid deposits are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and are of the opinion that the apparent reduction in amyloid accumulation following aducanumab treatment is likely instead a result of continued and advanced cerebral cell death and, thus, not a sign of improvement but of an even more advanced disease.
Why it matters
The authors argue that the apparent reduction in amyloid accumulation seen on PET scans after aducanumab treatment may actually reflect continued and advanced cerebral cell death rather than improvement. They state they are not convinced that amyloid deposits are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Alzheimer s Disease: journal h-index 218 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 26 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.7 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 9 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Abass A. Alavi: h-index 112 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Southern Denmark: institution h-index 692 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34657891) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 40 / 100 | — |
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