May 08, 2015

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A May 7, 2015 Huffington Post blog by USAgainstAlzheimer’s cofounder Trish Vradenburg paid tribute to her mother who inspired her Alzheimer’s advocacy. According to Trish, “If only she had gotten Alzheimer's now -- when there is true hope on the horizon. With luck, we will have an approved medicine by 2020 and we can begin to really stop this killer. If only...Well, mom, there is no question for me: I am fighting this battle in your memory. I still remember love for you...every day.Happy Mother's Day, my beloved mom.”


MUST READS

A May 8, 2015 The Hill opinion piece by Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman highlighted hope in the fight against Alzheimer’s. According to Chapman, “For those with Alzheimer's disease and their families, the diagnosis does not have to mean the end of productivity and quality of life. Much can be done after receiving a heartbreaking diagnosis. Lives can be dramatically changed for the better when hope is instilled and preserved abilities embraced, backed by scientific research, where before hope had vanquished and only the insidious losses were apparent. We all look forward to the day we can cure this disease that robs so many older Americans of their memories and ultimately their lives. In the meantime, we are counting on Congress to support Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers by passing the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act.”

A May 7, 2015 The Atlantic article (via Yahoo!) highlighted advances in music therapy. According to the article, “Kopikis agrees that the lab structure in research can limit what kind of data scientists can gather. “Some of the leading scientists in the field have been working for 30 years with dementia and Alzheimer's patients, whose studies are based on observation,” he says. “In many of these populations, you cannot tell exactly what is going on by just observing. Where scientists get very excited is the ability to combine what they're observing with a whole plethora of biometrics that can lead them to much more accurate understanding of what actually is going on.” Recently, Zatorre has been gauging interest in the program from research groups around the world, and says he has already found many of them to be enthusiastic. “I think that it could create a good dialogue between scientists and industry. That could be very valuable for both sides, of course. Furthermore, it could help to jump-start direct applications of our research,” he wrote. Meanwhile, Zatorre does warn that trying to use music as treatment can be risky—especially for a serious condition like Parkinson’s.”


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A May 8, 2015 The Star Tribune article profiled advancements in genomic sequencing. According to the article, “Schatz told the scientific journal Nature, “If there was any doubt that genomics would ever be able to reach the everyday man, at this price point and efficiencies, it is absolute certainty.” What in our genes causes us to have arthritis, diabetes or a cancer that doesn’t respond to treatment? To uncover the answers in the 6 billion bases of DNA that make up the human genome requires sequencing populations. “If you have 10,000 people with Alzheimer’s and 10,000 people who never, never showed signs of the disease, the idea is that you could sequence both those groups and learn something about Alzheimer’s,” Wilson said. “Because every human is different from every other human, you can’t do that with just five people with Alzheimer’s and five people without. You won’t have enough data to pinpoint the differences.””

A May 7, 2015 Bloomberg View article reported on potential conflicts of interest in NFL funded research. According to the article, “As football's concussion crisis continues to linger, it has also bolstered the growing field of sports medicine, which is addressing the need for more study on brain injuries in sports. It's important to keep a skeptical eye on who's conducting the research and who's funding it. A paper published last month in the American Journal of Sports Medicine by researchers at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine reviewed several studies on concussions among NFL players and found them inadequate.”


INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

A May 7, 2015 The Wall Street Journal article reported that a discontinuation of Actavis’ generic Alzheimer’s medication “could cost Medicare Part D as much as $288 million during the last six months of 2015.” According to the article, “Now, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, which advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy and economic analysis, says a ‘forced switch’ will cost the Medicare prescription drug program. How so? The federal government would “overpay” relative to what would have otherwise been paid if lower-cost generic versions were readily available. “If Actavis curtails production of Namenda IR, consumer welfare will suffer due to a combination of fewer choices and diminished price competition,” the ASPE writes. “Such practices stress public budgets and reduce the ability to promote value-based health care use. As a result, Actavis’ planned conduct would exacerbate the problem of financing health care for the elderly.” “There is more at stake in this case than simply a general interest in protecting consumer welfare. The exercise of market power as described above has important consequences for HHS program spending,” the ASPE adds. The ASPE cited an analysis showing the number of people in the U.S. over age 65 with dementia from Alzheimer’s disease was 4.7 million in 2010 and is forecast to reach 14.8 million by 2050.”