AlzHub

Alzheimer's Drug Trial To Begin For Flurizan

Myriad Genetics Inc. is set to begin the largest ever drug trial to test their new drug Flurizan.  Their website states that they are about to start a phase 3 trial (phase 3 is the last state of testing before a drug is sent to the FDA for approval for use by the general public) which will include 1600 patients over 18 months.

The drug is designed to block the production of beta-amyloid which is believed to be the cause of the plaque buildup found in Alzheimer's patients.

On a side note: The article that I'm linking to (and others) on this trial included something along the lines of: The company "aims to win an intense, international race among several biotech companies to find the first effective treatment to at least slow the disease's progression in the 4.5 million Americans who suffer from it".

I didn't see this claim to be the "first" on the company's website so I don't know where it came from.  Maybe it refers to the way the drug works.  I'd bet the makers of Donepezil (Aricept), Galantamine (Razadyne), Rivastigmine (Exelon) and Memantine (Namenda) would have something to say about who's first to be able to make the above claim.

Link:

Largest Alzheimer's Drug Trial Launched - Associated Press

Alzheimer's trials show positive results - Salt Lake City Tribune (article on Phase 2)

Free Publication: Visiting Someone With Dementia / Alzheimer's

Visiting with someone that has Alzheimer's or dementia can cause some anxiety for a lot of people.  Probably most people.  Both friends and immediate family wonder what to do or say, how to act, what the visit will be like.  This anxiety keeps a lot of people from making visits.  More out of the fear of the unknown than anything else. 

I came across a very good publication from Baycrest called: Visiting with Elders: Strategies to help you have a meaningful and rich visit with an elderly loved one that helps answer most of the questions you may have.  It is an amazing resource that takes the mystery out of your visits and helps you make your visits something everyone hopes they will be.

From the Baycrest website:

Baycrest has produced a free online resource to help families learn new ways of communicating and interacting with an elderly loved one who has Alzheimer's or other dementia. 

As our elders live into old age, with increased likelihood of chronic illness, institutionalization becomes a necessary choice for some for the provision of care. Families and relationships will continue, though ways of connecting with one another may change. These can be difficult and emotionally stressful times, but there are many ways to have a positive and meaningful visit.

That's right, this information is free.

Follow the link below to go to the website where you can click the link to read or download the publication:

Visiting with Elders:  Strategies to help you have a meaningful and rich visit with an elderly loved one.

Alzheimer's Article By College Freshman Gabriel Oppenheim

Here's an article by Gabriel Oppenheim about Alzheimer's, monetary costs and priorities.

This article caught my eye because Gabriel is a college freshman from Scarsdale. N.Y.
It's encouraging to see someone his age showing concern and an understanding of how serious
this disease is and will continue to be.

Good job.

Alzheimer's research deserves attention.

Technorati Tags: NIH, Medicare, spring break

Alzheimer's Drugs And Expectations

This post is for those that are just starting to try to learn what Alzheimer’s is all about and also for those of you who are either about to start taking an Alzheimer’s drug or are a caregiver for someone about to start taking a new drug.

I think that most people lucky enough to avoid dealing with Alzheimer’s themselves or with a loved one may not understand that the current commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s drugs (Aricept, Razadyne, Memantine and Exelon) may not work the way they would normally expect.

Before mom started taking one of the drugs, I always thought of drugs as either curing you or at least having a noticeable improvement. If you get a headache, you take an aspirin and the headache goes away. If you have high cholesterol, you take medication and your cholesterol level improves. It was easy to see whether they were working or not.

Alzheimer’s drugs are a little different. The best the current drugs can do is slow down the decline from Alzheimer’s. When the drug works as it’s designed, you won’t see the symptoms go away and the patient return to their old self. You may, depending on the rate of decline, see a slowing of the decline. This is the part that’s hard for a lot of people to get their head around. Even when the drug works, it can be difficult to know that it is working.

Mom was a good example of this. Her rate of decline was very slow. When she started on one of the drugs, I couldn’t really tell if it was helping since her decline was so slow anyway.

If you or a loved one is at the point where the drugs can help, this is just something to be aware of. There is a lot of evidence that these drugs work, it’s just not always obvious when they do.

California Stem Cell Trial Coverage

For coverage of the currently underway California stem cell trial,
visit the California Stem Cell Report written by David Jensen.
He's been attending the trial and posting several times daily on the proceedings.

This trial could determine whether there is a future for the California Stem Cell Agency.

Read the website here:  California Stem Cell Report.