California Democratic Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove has set off a major online debate about the health of so-called “president” Donald Trump, suggesting in a social media posting that Trump is secretly receiving an experimental drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Here’s what the congresswoman posted on Twitter:
According to the drug’s manufacturers, Eisai Inc. and Biogen, “LEQEMBI is a prescription medicine used to treat people with early Alzheimer’s disease, which includes mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia stage of disease.”
A quick Google search explains how the drug works:
“Leqembi (lecanemab) is a prescription medication used to slow the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloid-beta plaques from the brain. It is administered as an intravenous infusion and is associated with side effects like headaches and amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which can include brain swelling or bleeding. Eligibility for the treatment is limited to patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, and ApoE ε4 allele status is tested before starting treatment to assess the risk of ARIA.”
As Rep. Kamlager-Dove correctly notes, Leqembi can indeed lead to side-effects which require regular MRIs for those who take the drug. Trump has admitted that during his most recent physical, he received an MRI. However, when pressed by reporters to reveal what part of his body had been scanned, Donnie said he couldn’t remember.
The debate continues on Twitter. Here’s a sampling of what’s being said:
