Deaths Linked to Alzheimer’s Drug Spur Concerns Over Who Gets It (2)

Susan Aaron was an active 74-year-old retiree with Alzheimer’s who was told she might experience extreme fatigue and terrible headaches if she tried a new drug from Eisai Co. that promised to slow the progression of her disease. It didn’t sound like a dealbreaker, so she decided to try it.

Two weeks after her third dose, Aaron was dead.

She died last July after experiencing “severe” brain swelling and bleeding — known side effects of the drug — according to a report to the US Food and Drug Administration. Aaron’s pre-treatment genetic testing showed she was at a heightened risk of such ...