June 17, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

Eli Lilly continues solanezumab studies, 67 Alzheimer's drugs currently being tested, and UC San Diego's efforts to map memory formation (read more). 

Must reads

  • A June 16, 2014 NBC News article reported on Eli Lilly's new drug trials of solanezumab on individuals without symptoms of Alzheimer's. According to the article, "It's not a new treatment. It's been studied before in folks with mild Alzheimer's with some success…This is a major study being done at 60 sites worldwide as a partnership between the National Institutes of Health and Eli Lilly, which is the maker of this experimental drug. It's being coordinated by the Alzheimer's disease cooperative study. There is one requirement and that is at least 20 percent of the study participants must be african american or hispanic, two groups where the incidence of Alzheimer's is higher."
  • A June 16, 2014 AARP Blog post highlighted a new report issued by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) that finds "Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and heart disease top the list for the most new drugs in development to treat common chronic diseases of older Americans." According tot he article, "Of the 110 diabetes drugs currently under development, nine have submitted an application for FDA approval, while 77 are in the early stages (phase one and two) of clinical trials — in other words, several years away from approval. Among the 67 Alzheimer’s drugs being tested, only one has been submitted to the FDA, while 56 are still in phase one or two clinical trials."
  • A June 16, 2014 KPBS article reported on UC San Diego's efforts to unlock the mechanisms behind memory formation. According to the article, "What actually happens inside the human brain when it forms a memory? Monday, San Diego researchers report seeing that process up close, cell by cell, inside a living human brain…The experiment allowed Wixted to train his sights on the hippocampus, a small part of the brain known to be crucial for memory formation. It's one of the first regions damaged in early stages of Alzheimer's. And after the famous amnesiac patient Henry Molaison had his hippocampus surgically removed, he spent the rest of his life unable to form new memories." Research report here