Arizona PBS PHOENIX – For the first time since 2003, the Federal Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder that affects roughly 6 million people in the United States and is projected to affect more than 13 million by 2050. Last year, there were at least 42,000 more deaths from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the U.S. – a 16% increase over the average of the preceding five years, according to an analysis of federal data by the Alzheimer’s Association. The new drug, Aduhelm, is given intravenously once a month. It wasn’t designed to be a cure, but rather aims to reduce brain damage and preserve cognitive function.