High hopes new drug could be a ‘game changer’ against long-incurable Alzheimer’s
Source: The Toronto Star
Wed., Aug. 31, 2016
In the bleak landscape of failed Alzheimer drugs, an experimental antibody treatment is renewing hope for a long-awaited game changer though experts caution that clinical trials are still in the early stages and many unanswered questions remain.
Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia, which is estimated to affect more than 46 million people worldwide. Despite exhaustive attempts, scientists have yet to find a single drug that can slow or stop the disease, though a handful of drugs can treat its symptoms.
But on Wednesday, American and Swiss researchers published tantalizing results from the early stages of their clinical trial for aducanumab a human antibody that targets the toxic beta-amyloid protein that clumps together in the brains of Alzheimers patients.
The small study, published in the journal Nature, enrolled just 165 American patients in the early stages of dementia, 40 of whom dropped out. After just one year, patients receiving the highest doses of the drug saw their amyloid plaques significantly decreased, to a level that one study author called fairly unprecedented.
Read more: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/08/31/high-hopes-new-drug-could-be-a-game-changer-against-long-incurable-alzheimers.html
snpsmom
(687 posts)Hope the ARIA side effect can be controlled.
daleo
(21,317 posts)Side effects are one reason, but there are others. 40 out of 165 does seem high, though. It would be great if there was an effective treatment, as it is a very tragic condition.
bucolic_frolic
(43,311 posts)Seeking universal dissolving agent ... wonder if they tried DMSO, the wood
pulp by-product. Has been used by some doctors on muscle nodules and the like
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)otchmoson
(68 posts)Alzheimer's researchers seethe over years of missteps
interesting article at this link: https://www.statnews.com/2016/07/28/alzheimers-drug-failure/
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)MowCowWhoHow III
(2,103 posts)Paris (AFP) - An experimental drug cleared protein buildup in the brains of people with mild Alzheimer's disease and slowed their mental decline, the results of a preliminary trial showed.
The outcome raised hopes that a treatment may finally be within reach for the memory- and independence-robbing disease, but experts cautioned against overplaying the findings.
The drug, aducanumab, is only the latest antibody to show promise in an early, Phase I drug trial, they said. Others ended up disappointing in the decisive Phase III efficacy test.
"Although potentially this is an exciting story, it is important to temper any excitement with considerable caution," said Robert Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trial-drug-shows-impressive-alzheimers-action-study-172445056.html
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Seems to wipe out the plaques but damage has already been done. I bet plenty of people with early Alzheimers would volunteer.