Network meta-analysis of the efficacy of nine drugs for cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Year: 2026
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a global challenge, and the comparative cognitive efficacy of emerging pharmacotherapies is still unclear. Objective: To compare and rank nine pharmacological agents against placebo in AD with respect to key cognitive outcomes using a network meta-analysis. Methods: We systematically searched randomized controlled trials published up to May 2025 that evaluated aducanumab, lecanemab, donanemab, gosuranemab, semorinemab, tilavonemab, zagotenemab, masupirdine, or sodium oligomannate in AD. The primary outcomes were Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog); Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was a secondary outcome. Treatments were ranked using the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking curve (SUCRA). Results: Fifteen randomized trials encompassing 33 treatment arms were included. No drug demonstrated statistically robust superiority over placebo in primary outcomes. Semorinemab and tilavonemab achieved highest SUCRA rankings, but without significant pairwise advantage. For MMSE, aducanumab showed a modest mean difference versus placebo (1.98, 95% CI 0.03-3.93), though evidence of publication bias reduced confidence. Conclusions: Current pharmacological treatments do not consistently outperform placebo in AD. Tau-targeted antibodies (semorinemab, tilavonemab) display modest but non-significant promise, whereas aducanumab's apparent benefit is likely confounded by publication bias. Further large, rigorous randomized controlled trials and improved preclinical models are essential.
Authors: Shanshan Huang, Yunyun Guo
Institution: Imperial College London
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7128164134