Drug that halts Alzheimers, removes amyloid plaques on the horizon

[Maru Kitteh]

I know the Telegraph is a conservative news source but they had the best article I saw on the drug. The article is from September of 2016, but I missed it at that time. I have also included a link below to clinical trials now underway.

Please, please, let this be the one. The suffering this disease wreaks upon families and lives . . It would be so good to see it end.

Alzheimer's: New drug that halts mental decline is 'best news for dementia in 25 years'



Patients treated with the highest dose of aducanumab saw an almost complete clearance of the amyloid plaques which prevent brain cells communicating

Sarah Knapton, Science Editor


The first drug that can prevent Alzheimer’s disease is finally on the horizon after scientists proved they can clear the sticky plaques from the brain which cause dementia and halt mental decline.

Hailed as the "best news" in dementia research for 25 years, the breakthrough is said to be a potential "game changer" for people with Alzheimer’s.

Scientists said they were amazed to find that patients treated with the highest dose of the antibody drug aducanumab experienced an almost complete clearance of the amyloid plaques that prevent brain cells communicating, leading to irreversible memory loss and cognitive decline.

Crucially they also found that after six months of the treatment, patients stopped deteriorating compared with those taking a placebo, suggesting that their dementia had been halted.

Much more at link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/09/01/alzheimers-new-drug-that-halts-mental-decline-is-best-news-for-d/

Link to clinical trials: https://www.aducanumabclinicaltrials.com/

[dchill]

1. Huge K&R!

[Historic NY]

2. WOW!!!!!!!!!

[sheshe2]

3. Please make it so.

It is a cruel disease. Heartbreaking. I watched my dad fade away.

[Maru Kitteh]

5. I'm so sorry sheshe. I haven't had a close famiy member with it, but

in my work, I have seen so many affected and the terrible way it hurts families.

I actually teared up when I read this.

[sheshe2]

6. I have posted about the caregivers.

Many die before the patient does. The stress of literally babysitting 24/7, dealing with their anger when they lash out, fearing you might make a mistake with their medications and the isolation you feel? Devastating. My sister and I home cared until his stroke. Gotta say it nearly tore our relationship apart.

Watched him fade in a nursing home after that... He passed just over two years ago.

Thank you so much for posting this Maru. No one should go through this.

[Stonepounder]

17. The last time I saw my mom, she knew who I was when I was in front of her,

but as soon as I was out of sight she asked my dad who I was. The horrible think was that she knew that her memory was going. She finally had to be placed in custodial care when my dad could no longer take care of her. Before long they had to tell him not to visit because she didn't know who he was and it upset her that a 'strange man' was coming around.

It is such a cruel disease. Please let this be the wonder drug that helps.

[sheshe2]

20. I got a call.

Left work and spent four hours with my dad. I held his hand and said goodbye. He never awoke and died in the early hours.

All my visits...he did not know me.

[JudyM]

26. Heartbreaking. Sorry you had to go through this.

[peggysue2]

40. Ditto!

My father also died with Alzheimer's and my sister is now battling the same disease, early onset and no way to stop the progressive slide. I find myself reading avery article on the research and clinical trials. They're getting closer and that's welcomed news. It remains to be seen if the high doses in this treatment are a permanent solution and/or any side effects reduce the positive results.

For my sister, I hope this is true. Watching someone die this way is absolutely heartbreaking.

[sheshe2]

44. I wish you and your sister

all the best, peggysue. I hope they find something that will help your dear sister.

[peggysue2]

52. Thanks!

Me too, sheshe. Kathy's at the point where a telephone conversation is really difficult. She just repeats the same point over and over again. To be honest? I'm not sure she even knows who I really am, her sister. It's a cruel, cruel disease, like so many of these progressive illnesses, wearing you down inch by inch.

I read Jennifer Palmieri's essay about her own sister's Alzheimer's journey and her ultimate death. She referred to it as a blessing, the way it brought her family together, everyone circling around her sister, growing closer as the disease progressed. That was somewhat true when my father began to slide. But now, the family--our generation--is spread all over the country.

In my mind there's just no way to put a happy face on Alzheimer's. It's flat-out awful.

Appreciate the note.

[still_one]

4. Biogen is the company doing this. Merck and Lilly's Alzheimers drug disappointed last

year, so it would help a lot of folks if this helped people

[Bayard]

7. Not a cure

But it looks like it stops the disease from progressing further. Saw my mom waste away with Alzheimer's. I'm not crazy about my genetic chances, so maybe it will help me on down the road.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. Yes. Think the last drug that eliminated the plaque actually made people worse.

[Maru Kitteh]

9. I guess technically it wouldn't be a "cure." It does remove the amyloid plaques.

It can't restore lost memories, of course.

It still represents an incredible advancement.

[MontanaMama]

10. Sounds very promising! Hoping for the best.

I lost my hero - my beloved dad - to early onset Alzheimer's. It is a brutal disease that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Caring for my dad through the end of his life was a privilege as difficult as it was. I consider that a precious time in my life. I miss him so much. <3

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. I have a friend with early onset Alzheimer's. She's 51, and in the year or so that I've known her,

the decline has been heartbreaking.

The first time I met her she was quite open about her situation. After a few months she became more guarded, and now she can barely function in public.

She (along with her mother who is now her primary care-taker) was at an Academy Awards watch party a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately, all there knew of her situation, so we simply pitched in. She can't find her way to the bathroom. She needs to be reminded which chair is hers. It's heartbreaking, and worse yet, I didn't know her at her best. I wish I had.

The worst part of this specific story is that her only son is a senior in high school, although I gather he rarely goes to school. He's losing his mother at a most vulnerable time in his own life.

Alzheimer's is a devastating disease. Maybe sometime in the future there will be a vaccine that will inoculate people from ever getting it. I hope so.

Meanwhile, on a slightly more cheerful note, I've told my sons that if I become totally senile, to please put me in a home that has cats, because I doubt I will ever be so out of it that I won't want to be around cats. When I was three years old (and trust me, I remember some of this) I was dragging stray cats home. My mother, god bless her, hated cats, and she'd allow the stray to stay for about a day and then would let it go. I have, over the years, owned various cats. At the moment I have none, but someday I will. Right now I'm doing a lot of travelling and it would be totally irresponsible to have one. But someday, someday. . . .

[Maru Kitteh]

12. I hope you will pass along the information/link to the clinical trials

in case she is interested. If this were happening to me or my mom, I would really want the chance to try.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. It is probably much too late for my friend to participate

in clinical trials.

I suspect that the future will lie in a vaccine for Alzheimer's, although that may be far enough in the future that those of us currently over age 50 won't benefit. I'm 68, and I know that one of my paternal uncles had some sort of dementia, probably Alzheimer's, I'm only mildly concerned about my risk for this disease.

[Maru Kitteh]

14. If she is still able to walk and talk she may well qualify.

If she were my loved one, I would hope someone would at least forward the information.

Here is a link to the page on eligibility.
https://www.aducanumabclinicaltrials.com/about-these-studies

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. Perhaps. But I am not a close enough friend to suggest this.

It is really time for the parents to seriously consider moving her to a memory unit, and I don't think they've come to terms with that yet. It's sad. My connection is peripheral, and I do what I can when I'm around this friend.

[Maru Kitteh]

23. What suggesting? Doesn't have to be a big deal, just passing on information.

It doesn't have to be a big deal or a "suggestion." Just passing along simple information.

"Hey, I was reading the other day online and this pushy nurse I know posted something about an Alzheimer's drug they're testing and I thought of you guys. I didn't read too much about it, but I thought I would pass it along to you in case you wanted to check it out."

Maybe they're not interested. Maybe it is too late. Maybe it's not actually ALZ, but instead variant CJD and she doesn't qualify - but then again, just maybe it makes the pain stop.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

42. I did click on the link you posted,

and the response I got was that I or the person I was responding on behalf of, did not qualify/was not in the target population. Apparently they're wanting people with mild or moderate Alzheimer's. In fact, the article says "The drug is likely to be most effective for patients in the very earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease, or those who have not yet begun to show symptoms." My friend is well past the initial stages of the disease.

What she has is ALZ. Not CJD, which I'm slightly familiar with as the father of one of my son's classmates had that. Talk about a rapid progression. His downturn was swift, and he died less than a year from the diagnosis.

And on reading further into the article I see they're only recruiting British participants.

[Maru Kitteh]

47. Well, that's too bad. I'm sorry it couldn't help your friend. It's just a very sad thing.

[airplaneman]

15. So what is going to be the ridiculously un-affordable price for this drug. n/t.

[sheshe2]

22. Please do not do this on this thread.

Many of us have lost a loved one. The post is about hope. Let us believe for a moment that we may have some.

Yes. Under the current Admin no care is going to be affordable. None. They are taking it all away. Yet for this one post would you please just let us love the ones we lost and hope sometime in the future our government will actually care about our future instead of their pockets.

[brer cat]

24. Amen.

Those who have lived with this horrid disease know the pain and suffering that goes with it, both for the patients and their families. There are many dreadful fatal diseases, but I can't think of any that are this destructive to the entire family.

Hope is good, and I pray this is the break through we need.

[sheshe2]

46. Hillary was going to help us...

As president, Hillary will:
Commit to preventing, effectively treating, and making a cure possible for Alzheimer’s disease by 2025.
Invest $2 billion per year in research for Alzheimer’s and related disorders, the level leading researchers have determined necessary to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s and make a cure possible by 2025.
Make sure that funding is reliable and consistent so researchers can work steadily toward effective treatment.
Put the best and brightest on the case. Hillary will appoint a top-flight team of research and health experts to oversee this ambitious initiative.

Alzheimer’s disease affects a growing number of Americans and their families. To support those families, Hillary will:

Make it easier for families and individuals with Alzheimer’s to get the care they need. Medicare should cover comprehensive Alzheimer’s care-planning sessions and the cost of properly documenting every diagnosis and care plan.
Help protect loved ones who wander. Hillary will work with Congress to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program to help find individuals who are reported missing.
Ensure our seniors are aware and can take advantage of their Medicare benefits. Hillary will direct the Social Security Administration to raise awareness about the wellness visits, cognitive screenings, and other preventive benefits covered by Medicare.

Hillary’s plan builds on her long record of working across the aisle on behalf of patients and families dealing with Alzheimer’s disease:
In the U.S. Senate, she consistently pushed for greater funding for Alzheimer’s research, including federally funded stem cell research.
She also co-chaired the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease and introduced legislation to restore funding for the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Contact Center and for Alzheimer’s disease demonstration grants.

More: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/alzheimers-disease/

All the more heartbreaking that she is not the one in the WH.

[politicat]

18. I hope it works. And we can figure out a treatment for the other type of dementia.

More than half of dementia is not Alzheimer's type (where the amyloid plaque builds up between neural cells) but is vascular, because the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain becomes impaired, causing persistent and chronic hypoxia.

There's no treatment right now except catching arterial blockages very early and keeping an eye on cardio-pulmonary function. Which is difficult with excellent insurance and impossible without it.

I was responsible for my grandmother, who had her first stroke in 2012 and never recovered. Her brain just slowly died from oxygen starvation over four very long years.

It's as cruel, and as difficult, and once about 10% of the brain is starved, it's just a waiting game.

This is why our doctors harps on weight control, sugar control, quitting smoking and exercise. Nobody wants to endure this.

[Maru Kitteh]

37. There are so many forms of dementia. Vascular dementia is so tough because it

is more of a mechanical issue. In order to address the hypoxia, you have to restore blood flow, often in hardened and fragile vessels that are deep in the brain.

Sometimes cleaning the carotids can help, but that carries its own risks as well, including sudden death.

I envision a day where nanobots will be able to construct new, living, pliable vessels to bypass damaged areas - but obviously, that is a long way off.

[58Sunliner]

19. Looking for volunteer test subjects.

https://www.aducanumabclinicaltrials.com/about-these-studies?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=text_home&utm_campaign=aducanumab&gclid=CIa95tujy9ICFUOBswodh9EKjw
I know it's already posted.
Another option for those of us having memory issues is Bacopa Monnieri an herb which supposedly reduces plaques by a third. It really makes a difference for me, as well as phosphatidylserine, which helps.

[oasis]

21. Nice to hear good news for a change.

[brer cat]

25. Good news always welcome!

Yes, let this be the one.

[JudyM]

27. Little known fact: Marijuana also seems to remove amyloid plaque.

Of course the drug companies don't promote this. Here's some info:

http://www.salk.edu/news-release/cannabinoids-remove-plaque-forming-alzheimers-proteins-from-brain-cells/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757043

http://extract.suntimes.com/information-resources/10/153/12999/cannabis-oil-thc-helps-treat-alzheimers-disease-dementia-symptoms/

http://www.alzheimers.net/6-15-15-effects-of-medical-marijuana-on-alzheimers/

[Maru Kitteh]

28. While that does seem promising, it's not accurate to say MJ removes amyloid plaque in humans

at this time.

"While these exploratory studies were conducted in neurons grown in the laboratory, they may offer insight into the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and could provide clues to developing novel therapeutics for the disorder." - from the Salk paper

There's a metric shit-ton of difference between nerve cells in a dish and the human brain.

I did think this was very promising:

Safety and Efficacy of Medical Cannabis Oil for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: An-Open Label, Add-On, Pilot Study.
Shelef A1, Barak Y1, Berger U2, Paleacu D1, Tadger S1, Plopsky I1, Baruch Y1.
Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

OBJECTIVE:
To measure efficacy and safety of medical cannabis oil (MCO) containing THC as an add-on to pharmacotherapy, in relieving behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

METHODS:
Eleven AD patients were recruited to an open label, 4 weeks, prospective trial.

RESULTS:
Ten patients completed the trial. Significant reduction in CGI severity score (6.5 to 5.7; p <  0.01) and NPI score were recorded (44.4 to 12.8; p <  0.01). NPI domains of significant decrease were: Delusions, agitation/aggression, irritability, apathy, sleep and caregiver distress.

CONCLUSION:
Adding MCO to AD patients' pharmacotherapy is safe and a promising treatment option.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26757043

This is something that makes a great deal of difference in the quality of life of those suffering and caregivers. It's encouraging, but more scientifically valid studies need to be done with a hell of a lot more than 11 patients so that more people can benefit. Thankfully other countries with less ridiculous and byzantine legal ambiguities continue stronger research.


I consider myself an advocate of MMJ, but I would never take seriously information found on a site like "extract" that has headlines like "25 photos that will make you want a weed wedding." I'm a scientist. Agenda-driven POV sites like that villify the many natural allies that they have in the medical community with fear-mongering and name-calling, and do more harm than help to the cause.

[JudyM]

29. LOL I threw Extract in there because it's a user-friendly writeup, not for its gravitas.

The results of the small scale human study of course would need to be replicated but right now we don't have a lot of money going into it. I posted the info here for folks to be informed about it and for folks who, like me, have a parent with dementia, because it's something that they can try NOW, without waiting for drug approval.

There's also some hope that using a ketongenic diet may combat dementia -- another harmless-to-try option. Coincidentally, I posted a bit about that yesterday, FWIW: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1723890

Thanks for your post, also, this is an area I want to keep up on.

[Maru Kitteh]

30. The very nice thing about the info from the study you posted on MCO is it could be helpful

potentially for many kinds of dementia, not just ALZ dementia - and you're right - it's something that should be available to patients right now. Of course that depends on what state you are in, but we're back to the whole "ridiculous and byzantine" legal ambiguities and regulations thing again.

My best to you and your parent. Dementia is a cruelty so unique and so complete, sometimes even the strongest families are torn asunder. We simply must keep fighting, from every angle available.

[JudyM]

32. Right, it's showing promise for other conditions, as well, like arthritis, and general pain.

And since it's available as an oil, it doesn't pose the risk of harm that smoking does.

My hurdle is getting my conservative father to go for something that he's railed against for years. We shall see. Thanks for your kind words

[Hoyt]

31. Hope it can be used just like statins.

[ismnotwasm]

33. This is facinating and very heartening!

[BSdetect]

34. Science strikes again.

If you don't believe in science skip this cure.

[Maru Kitteh]

38. Yup. Science and those damned scientific researchers. Evil to the core

one and all, every last one of them I tell you.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

35. Will it cost $10,000 a month, could be without any control of Big Pharma it's all about max profits?

[Maru Kitteh]

36. You know, I'm going to refer you to sheshe's post and ask you. Please don't do this on this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8773470

Please do not do this on this thread.

Many of us have lost a loved one. The post is about hope. Let us believe for a moment that we may have some.

Yes. Under the current Admin no care is going to be affordable. None. They are taking it all away. Yet for this one post would you please just let us love the ones we lost and hope sometime in the future our government will actually care about our future instead of their pockets. ~ sheshe

[mainer]

39. Evidence also supports L-Serine as a cheaper cure, with no side effects

In primates with toxin (BMAA)-induced Alzheimers, the amino acid L-Serine results in reduced neurofibrillary tangles. I have been following the research of Paul Allan Cox for some time, and Dartmouth is about to start phase II-A human studies with L-serine. Drug companies won't like this because if it works, L-serine will be widely available and cheap. And it's abundant in foods like eggs, soy products, and seaweed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/environmental-toxin-linked-to-dementia-study-shows/2016/01/19/e78b7ac4-bef7-11e5-83d4-42e3bceea902_story.html?utm_term=.afe172e1e74c

[smirkymonkey]

41. Kicking!

Nice to have some hopeful news for once. I hope it is on the market soon and is affordable.

[malaise]

43. We were talking about this during our morning walk

Last edited Fri Mar 10, 2017, 03:35 PM - Edit history (1)

earlier - this is great news

[Maru Kitteh]

49. Morning walk - also great for preventing ALZ

[malaise]

50. Yep we walk four days a week

as long as it isn't raining. Lovely way to start a day.

[sheshe2]

45. Kicking.

[niyad]

48. k and r and bookmarking

[still_one]

51. This has received fast track backing, but it will still be a while before it

comes to market, and that is only if the phase 3 clinical trial holds up