COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Alzheimer’s disease affects more than six million Americans and 220,000 people living in Ohio. Last week, the FDA granted full approval for Leqembi— a drug that’s first of its kind, treating Alzheimer’s disease by attacking the toxic proteins in the brain.

Dr. Douglas Scharre is the director of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. He’s been working in the field for decades.

“It’s many, many years and research and lots of people working on this to get to the time where we have our first fully approved disease modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Scharre said. “It is a big step. It’s been 20 years almost where we’ve had nothing. This medication’s the first what we call disease modifying, not just to help symptoms, but to actually change the course of the disease by getting rid of the toxic amyloid.”

The ‘amyloid’ he refers to is one of two toxic proteins that attack the nerves in the brain, causing Alzheimer’s Disease. The drug Leqembi does an “excellent job” of destroying the amyloid protein, but it doesn’t reverse any damage that’s already been done.

“It goes into the brain and it grabs the amyloid and it gets rid of it, and it does a fabulous job of getting rid of amyloid. The amyloid after about a year and a half is just gone. It’s just out of the brain completely,” explained Dr. Scharre.

“There’s hope. For the first time, we like to say for the first time in Alzheimer’s and dementia research, we are living in an age of treatment,” explained Camren Harris, the public policy manager and research champion for the Alzheimer’s Association of Central Ohio. “We know that Leqembi is not that silver bullet. It’s not a cure. But this is the first time we’ve seen a drug that slowed down the progression of the disease.”

Leqembi slows the progression of the disease by about five months or 27% in clinical trials, but it only works for those who have been newly diagnosed.

“It only works for people that are very mild. So people that have just some mild cognitive impairment. They’ve noticed some changes in their thinking over the last years. Maybe they’re struggling a little bit with their cell phone or the TV remote,” Dr. Scharre said. “It’s for that group and that’s where it really will help them.”

Dr. Scharre added those who can’t perform tasks like shopping, cooking or using a phone won’t benefit from Leqembi.

“The less ravaged your brain is, that is the earlier symptoms you have, there’s some chance to save those nerves and you’ll do better,” he said. “If the protein has already been ravaging your brain you can get rid of the protein but the damage and the cells are already dead. It’s not going to help. It’s a baby step, but a very good baby step.”

Bill Goode has seen the affects of Alzheimer’s disease first hand over the last seven years. In 2016, he and his wife Debbie were relaxing in a swimming pool at a health club.

“Debbie saw two guys in a canoe in that swimming pool. I mean instant red flags. Something’s wrong,” he told NBC4.

Bill rushed her to the hospital where a CT scan was performed, which revleaed brain atrophy.

“We’re almost seven years into it, so we’re out of the availability. It is what it is. And life’s a garden. You got to dig it now,” Goode said.

The news of the new drug to treat Alzheimer’s was exciting for the Goode’s, but they were told Debbie is likely not a candidate to benefit from it.

“I’m jealous,” Bill said. “[I wish] we could go back in time and change the diagnosis to now.”

Bill acts as caretaker for Debbie, who is still walking around and staying busy.

“On Father’s Day, we actually went out, went fishing for the first time in probably ten years,” Goode said.

Over the last seven years he’s adopted a new mantra.

“Take life one day at a time,” he said. “When you’re faced with hurdles: improvise, adapt and overcome. Different families have different care plans. My plan right now is to keep her here until it’s over. The light at the end of the tunnel . . . just got a little bit bigger with this new medicine being approved. Maybe on the other side of that tunnel is a cure.”

The Alzheimer’s Association is using the word ‘hope’ with more gusto.

“There’s hope. There’s hope for our families, there’s hope for our loved ones, and hope for those who are wrestling with this disease every day,” Harris said. “It does provide some excitement for us to see that all the tears and pain that our volunteers have expressed throughout the years, with them sharing their stories and knowing that we’re literally moving in a place where we can help benefit families so that those who have already gone through the tragic loss of Alzheimer’s may not have to go through that in the future.”

But the hope isn’t just for those who will take the drug.

“Alzheimer’s is a very genetic condition and it runs in families all the time, so to know that I’m going through this but maybe my children don’t have to,” explained Dr. Scharre.

“Time matters. More time matters with your loved ones, with your family. Time matters when it comes to making those family decisions. Time matters when it comes to your finances and your personal hobbies,” Harris said.

Harris added the disease needs a shot in the arm now because it’s only expected to get worse

“Right now Ohio has about 220,000 Ohioans who are living with Alzheimer’s age 65 and older,” he said. “In just two years, by 2025, our data suggests that number will skyrocket to 250,000.”

Early detection is the key.

“If you lose your keys and you can’t find them and eventually you find them somewhere. If you remember, ‘Oh that’s right I remember how they landed there I had to go to the bathroom or whatever, phone rang I know how they got there. But if you see the keys and you have no idea how they got there, that’s a problem,” Dr. Scharre said. “That’s an early sign of memory loss and you need to go see someone. Or if you’re forgetting words or nouns, objects you have to keep calling whatchamacallits as opposed to the name. That’s a sign. If you’re getting turned around or lost in areas you should be pretty familiar with. You know you live in this town, you’ve been there before, you should not be getting lost. That’s a problem.”

Dr. Scharre and OSU have developed a brain test called the SAGE test that can help pre-diagnose at home, any time.

“In the future, the next 15 years, we’ll have a combination of therapies for someone that’s developing this condition,” he said.