USA2 SPOTLIGHT

According to a July 18, 2017 Medical Xpress article, 27 Alzheimer's drugs in Phase III clinical trials, and eight in Phase II clinical trials, may launch in the next five years. These numbers derive from a pipeline analysis presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London by ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer's, a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer's. "The Alzheimer's disease pipeline, marred by decades of failures and underinvestment, is due for big victories. Thanks to growing investment from industry leaders, we remain cautiously optimistic that the current crop of late-stage Alzheimer's innovations will bring much-needed solutions to families in the near future,” said George Vradenburg, UsAgainstAlzheimer's Co-Founder and Chairman. Read the full UsA2 statement here.

MUST READS

A July 17, 2017 The Washington Post article (subscription required) reported that identification of hearing loss, verbal fluency changes and hospitalization can aid in early detection of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found links between mild cognitive impairment and hearing loss, as well as subtle changes in everyday speech. Emergency and urgent hospitalizations are associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older people.

A July 17, 2017 Healio Psychiatric Annals article looked at a study comparing the efficacy of a comprehensive, individualized, person-centered management program vs. memantine alone for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease treatment. The data was presented in London at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. According to study researcher Barry Reisberg, MD, of NYU Langone Medical Center, “Alzheimer’s and dementia clinicians have known for some time that medication alone is not enough to stop disease progression. Our new research shows that a comprehensive, patient-centered care program brings significant benefits in daily activities, which are important to individuals with Alzheimer's and those who care for and about them.”

A July 14, 2017 The San Diego Union-Tribune video segment and article spotlighted Michele Hannemann’s quest to understand her genetic risk factor of developing Alzheimer’s disease, after her mom died from early-onset AD. “Let’s talk about what’s going on out there and give people more support and some answers about not only what you can do for yourself in terms of understanding your risk factors, but (also) being able to help those people who are in the throes of the disease right now,” Hannemann said.

MUST WATCH

A July 16, 2017 ABC Denver7 video segment focused on the collaboration of the Denver Croquet Club with the Jiminy Wicket foundation to offer croquet to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia every Monday. Croquet offers social and athletic opportunities to the participants. According to James Creasey, Jiminy Wicket Founder, whose father had AD, “We’ve got one metric by which we measure the effectiveness of what we’re doing, it’s “SPH” - smiles per hour.”