Family Optimistic as Newly Approved Alzheimer’s Treatment Offers Hope for Valley Man

Eight years ago, Jim Sanson was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. For the first time since then, he and his wife have hope.

PHOENIX — Jim and Susie Sanson are sitting in a small, white room together. There’s not much in the room, except for a large, oversized chair and TV. The two find comfort in each other. Jim looks over and smiles at Susie as she squeezes his hand. Though he doesn’t fully remember why he’s there, he understands that what’s about to happen is significant.

“I feel great,” Jim said. “My doctor told me what he was thinking about, and I said, ‘Let’s go.’ So, we’re going to see what happens.”

For the first time in eight years, the Sansons have hope.

“We know so many people who have passed away because there was nothing for them,” Susie said. “So this is beyond hope; it really is.”

Eight years ago, Jim was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The moment, Susie says, was difficult not just for her, but their family as well.

“We had seen some of his family members go through it,” Susie said. “I saw my father go through Alzheimer’s. When [Jim] was diagnosed, it was life-changing and scary. Lucky for Jim, he forgets about it. That’s the best part of the disease, I can tell you.”

Since the diagnosis, they have tried to stay positive but found it challenging. They sold their business because it became too difficult. The hardest part, though, Susie says, has been watching her husband go through something with no real treatment options available.

“Oh, it’s frustrating because you keep going to see your doctor and our doctor felt horrible because he couldn’t offer us anything. He would say there’s nothing out there for us.”

However, that changed after the FDA recently approved Kisunla on July 1, 2024.

“This particular product is unique,” Scott Hardey said. “It goes and helps the patient in a meaningful way.”

Hardey, Vice President for Pharma Relations at Aleracare, says the product targets plaques in the brain, which can slow cognitive decline.

“It’s not proper to say it’s a cure for Alzheimer’s, but it takes away those amyloid plaques, stopping the progression. What we’re finding based on the trials is that it gives patients not only hope but true outcomes.”

Kisunla is an infusion patients receive once a month. According to Eli Lilly and Company, the trial, which lasted about six years, found Kisunla reduced amyloid plaques by 61% at six months, 80% at 12 months, and 84% at 18 months compared to the start of the study.

The results are promising. Now, adults with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s (including those with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia stages) are eligible for treatment. This means, for the first time in eight years, Jim is able to receive treatment.

“It’s a huge relief to be honest with you,” Susie said.

Jim is one of the first in the nation to receive Kisunla. He now undergoes treatment once a month for 30 minutes via IV. The Sansons are hopeful they’ll see results after the second treatment.

“It’s really the real deal,” Susie said. “I’m very hopeful because the numbers shown in the studies are amazing. I’ve read all about it; it’s astounding.”

The goal is to give patients more time. After 51 years of marriage, Jim and Susie Sanson are hopeful they’ll get a lifetime more.

“Time is everything,” she said. “It’s a very big deal, and he’s the best; he absolutely is.”

“My kids are good, my doctors are good, my wife is good. I’m blessed, I’m very lucky,” Jim said.

If you have questions about Kisunla, officials recommend speaking with your doctor.