Alzheimer's patient in Broward sees brain plaques cleared after year and a half of treatment

Scott Milinsky is living with Alzheimer's, the same disease that claimed his father's life and memories. When he received his diagnosis, his thoughts immediately turned to his father.

"Suddenly all of that came back. I'm gonna be like my father," Milinsky recalled. "What a mess. It's terrifying to die that way, not knowing who you are."

Now, new medication is offering a sign of hope. Milinsky, a 79-year-old Pompano Beach grandfather, was the second person in Florida to enroll in treatment with Kisunla, an anti-amyloid medication developed by Eli Lilly. He received the infusions at Broward Health North's Memory Disorder & Alzheimer's Center under the care of Dr. Hazel Wiley.

Kisunla is designed to help slow the progression of early symptomatic Alzheimer's by targeting the brain to break up and remove amyloid plaques, which are a hallmark of the disease.

"It makes its way to the brain where it essentially breaks up and removes the amyloid plaque," Wiley explained. "By removing the plaque is where we see the benefit of the slowed cognitive and functional decline."

Milinsky underwent 18 infusions over a year and a half. His final PET scan confirmed that the amyloid plaques were gone.

"I was shocked," he said. "I just sat there and said, 'Oh my God.' I didn't know what to think. I felt so grateful. So, so grateful. I felt so happy. It was overwhelming."

While the treatment is showing success, Wiley clarified that it is not considered an official cure, as it does not address TAU tangles that also accumulate with Alzheimer's. Despite that, she sees the results as significant.

"It's exciting. It's emotional at the same time," Wiley said. "It's exciting to see some benefit, to see something that is really making a difference, because for many, many years, we haven't really had much of anything."

For Milinsky, the results provide more precious time. "This is a game changer, and there's going to be more game changers in this field," he said. "This is just the beginning."

The Memory Disorder & Alzheimer's Center at Broward Health North is currently providing the treatment to more than 60 patients.