AAIC 2026: Tau-targeted Alzheimer treatments heat up while amyloid therapies persist

AAIC 2026 highlights a surge in tau-targeted Alzheimer disease therapies (e.g., bepranemab, etalanetug, diranersen, VY1706) alongside continued development and real-world data for amyloid-targeting drugs like lecanemab (Leqembi) and donanemab (Kisunla).

Tau programs now make up roughly 20% of the Alzheimer drug pipeline, reflecting a strategic pivot toward blocking tau spread, which correlates more closely with clinical decline than amyloid.

Combination trials pairing amyloid-clearing antibodies with tau inhibitors (e.g., etalanetug + lecanemab) are emerging as a central theme, aiming for additive or synergistic slowing of disease progression.

Despite ongoing Cochrane and field debate about the modest clinical impact of anti-amyloid antibodies, long-term real-world cohorts show sustained slowing of decline in early AD, supporting their continued use in selected patients while the field broadens beyond amyloid.