OPINION

A December 20, 2019 STAT First Opinion piece assessed where we are now, in light of the new aducanumab data presented at CTAD. Even if the drug were approved by the FDA, the healthcare system is ill prepared to oversee and administer this costly infusion, which can cause microscopic hemorrhages and brain swelling, especially in those with heightened genetic risk for AD. According to the piece, “A treatment that slows Alzheimer’s disease, that delays the onset of dementia, promises to reduce disability and preserve autonomy. The failure to properly prescribe it could, however, increase the spectacular tallies of the time and costs of caregiving that define much of the Alzheimer’s crisis.”

MUST READS

A December 19, 2019 Massive Science article looked at repurposing GSIs (gamma secretase inhibitors), drugs that failed to treat Alzheimer’s disease, for the treatment cancer. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists are combining the compounds, with CAR-T immunotherapy, to keep cancer cells visible in multiple myeloma. According to the article, “It was once thought that that inhibiting gamma secretase, a protein known to produce Aβ, would be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. But clinical trials of GSIs for treating Alzheimer’s were halted when it came to light that treatment actually made the disease worse. It caused more instances of side effects, including skin cancers and gastrointestinal toxicity, and worsened cognition and function compared with Alzheimer’s patients receiving standard treatment.”

A December 19, 2019 Fierce Biotech article reported that Biogen acquired the antisense, tau-targeting drug IONIS-MAPTRx from Ionis Pharmaceuticals, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Ionis will complete the phase I study currently underway for people with mild AD, and a yearlong extension study. According to a statement from Ionis, “In preclinical studies, MAPT-targeted antisense treatment demonstrated prevention and reversal of pathology.”

PATIENT AND CAREGIVER VOICES

A December 19, 2019 Being Patient “Phil’s Journal” by former reporter Phil Gutis paid homage to sports writer Bill Lyon, who recently died from Alzheimer’s disease. Gutis, who has early-onset AD, is chronicling his journey, as Lyon also did. Lyon referred to the disease as “Al” and “That Rat Bastard,” and was determined to face it head on. “What I do share with Bill, however, is the fact that “Al” has also planted itself in my brain, and I too have a deep and somewhat desperate need to write about my journey… I wonder now if it was Lyon who lit my urgent need to write about Alzheimer’s. Or perhaps he sparked my ongoing fight against Alzheimer’s…” wrote Gutis.

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

A December 19, 2019 TRIAD Business Journal article spotlighted the double-blind phase 2 clinical trial of vTv’s azeliragon, which seeks to reduce brain atrophy and inflammation. Data readout is expected in the first half of 2021. According to the article, “The company found that patients with type 1 diabetes responded most positively to the medication. These patients have a specific type of receptor that makes biological sense to experience decreased brain atrophy.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Join the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s “Care Connection Community Class: Jazz Concert.” January 2, 2020 at 2pm in New York City. Register here.