"Japan Health Ministry Approves New Alzheimer's Drug"

"Japan Health Ministry Approves New Alzheimer's Drug"

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Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."
　
Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories. Today's headline is…
　
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アルツハイマー病（びょう）の新（あたら）しい薬（くすり）　日本（にっぽん）で使（つか）うことを認（みと）める
　
"Japan Health Ministry Approves New Alzheimer's Drug"
This news story was published on NEWS WEB EASY's website on August 23rd.
　
Now let's go over some vocab words that will help us understand what's going on.
　
アルツハイマー病（びょう）
Alzheimer's disease
　
認知症（にんちしょう）
dementia
This is a medical condition in which the deterioration of brain cells leads to the loss of cognitive function, such as the ability to reason and remember things, to a degree that affects daily living.
　
専門家（せんもんか）
expert
　
Let's keep these words in mind as we listen.
　
「厚生労働省（こうせいろうどうしょう）で8月（がつ）21日（にち）、アルツハイマー病（びょう）の新（あたら）しい薬（くすり）「レカネマブ」について専門家（せんもんか）が話（はな）し合（あ）いました。アルツハイマー病（びょう）は、認知症（にんちしょう）の原因（げんいん）の1つです。この薬（くすり）は日本（にっぽん）とアメリカの会社（かいしゃ）が一緒（いっしょ）につくって、アルツハイマー病（びょう）が進（すす）むのを遅（おそ）くすることができると言われています。
専門家（せんもんか）はこの薬（くすり）に効果（こうか）があることを確認（かくにん）して、安全（あんぜん）に大（おお）きな心配（しんぱい）がないと言（い）いました。そして、日本（にっぽん）で使（つか）うことを認（みと）めました。
この薬（くすり）を使（つか）うことができる人（ひと）については、アルツハイマー病（びょう）になったばかりの人（ひと）などにすると決（き）めました。
日本（にっぽん）での薬（くすり）の値段（ねだん）は、まだ決（き）まっていません。」
　
Japanese and American pharmaceutical companies have jointly developed a new Alzheimer's drug, which has now been approved for use by a panel of experts at Japan's health ministry.
　
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Now we'll break down a few sentences from the story that contain helpful expressions and keywords.
Let's start with the following sentence:
　
この薬（くすり）は日本（にっぽん）とアメリカの会社（かいしゃ）が一緒（いっしょ）につくって、アルツハイマー病（びょう）が進（すす）むのを遅（おそ）くすることができると言（い）われています。
　
"The drug, produced jointly by Japanese and American companies, is said to be able to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease."
　
アルツハイマー病（びょう）is one of the causes of 認知症（にんちしょう）.
In Japan, Alzheimer's is estimated to account for between 60 to 70 percent of dementia cases.
　
The second half of our sentence contains the expression 進（すす）むのを遅（おそ）くする.
The verb 進（すす）む means "to go forward," "advance," " make progress," or "improve."
When talking about a disease or its symptoms, 進（すす）む describes a worsening condition. So here, 進（すす）むのを遅（おそ）くする refers to "slowing the progression of" a disease.
　
OK, let's move on to the next sentence.
　
そして、日本（にっぽん）で使（つか）うことを認（みと）めました。
　
"And they have approved it for use in Japan."
　
The verb 認（みと）める has multiple meanings.
　
In the sentence 日本（にっぽん）で使（つか）うことを認（みと）めました, 認（みと）める means "to approve" something as being correct or proper.
　
We can also use 認（みと）める to describe the act of "admitting" or "confessing" to something. For instance, 彼（かれ）は自分（じぶん）が悪（わる）かったことを認（みと）めた means "He admitted that he was at fault."
　
認（みと）める also can mean "to recognize" or "notice." Let's say you go in for a medical checkup and the results show there's nothing wrong with you. The doctor might say 悪（わる）いところは認（みと）められませんでした, which means "we found no abnormalities."
　
OK, that's all for today.
　
It's estimated that 1 in 5 of people 65 and over in Japan will have dementia in 2025. There's a lot of work to be done to ensure their wellbeing, and that includes medical treatment, prevention, and building support networks in local communities.

Indeed. It is a particularly pressing issue here because of the rapidly aging population.
　
All right. Be sure to tune in next time for more!
　
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