USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A March 21, 2019 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s release from UsA2 Chairman George Vradenburg addressed the termination of the aducanumab Alzheimer’s disease clinical drug trials. “We commend Biogen and Eisai for their commitment to helping the 5.8 million people in the U.S. and more than 50 million worldwide living with Alzheimer’s today. We urge them to continue pursuing a cure and ask for greater commitment, greater investment, and greater urgency from everyone in the field to help bring about an end to this devastating disease… It is our responsibility to patients, families, and caregivers everywhere to aggressively explore, fund, and accelerate treatments and cure. We will stop the devastation of Alzheimer’s.”

(ICYMI) A March 12, 2019 UsAgainstAlzheimer’s release looked to figures from the “It’s Personal” National A-List Survey of Alzheimer’s Couples, from UsAgainstAlzheimer’s A-LIST initiative. Survey findings were featured on CBS This Morning. Watch here. The survey found that while a majority of couples reported that they discussed their preferences regarding living with cognitive decline, more than 60% omitted or avoided a conversation about their spouse or partner seeking companionship outside their relationship.   

MUST READS

A March 22, 2019 Forbes article referred to the Alzheimer’s disease clinical drug trial landscape as “an unrelenting disaster zone,” especially in the wake of Biogen’s abandonment of their aducanumab trials and the subsequent financial fallout. Its drug joined the scrap-pile alongside recent Merck and Lilly failures. According to the article, “So, how will Biogen respond? Undoubtedly, there will be budget cuts. In addition, perhaps Biogen will look at its R&D portfolio and give a higher priority to those programs that have the potential to deliver revenues in the short term. There might also be a push to drop programs deemed to be very risky or where the proof-of-concept requires long, expensive clinical trials.”

A March 22, 2019 Bloomberg News article questioned if it’s time to turn in new directions in seeking a drug to cure or treat Alzheimer’s disease, in light of Biogen’s abandonment of its AD drug trials. According to the article, “The brain has been a black box for drug developers, but focusing on beta amyloid has long been viewed as the best hope for treating the mysterious ailment that affects millions of Americans and their families. For many, the hypothesis became an article of faith…” “It’s not science anymore. It has turned into a religion,” said Biology Professor George Perry of the University of Texas at San Antonio.

A March 22, 2019 Fierce Biotech article focused on Eisai’s announcement that it is initiating new clinical trials for its BAN2401 anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s disease drug, just 24 hours after abandoning its aducanumab trials, which sent partner Biogen’s shares tumbling. The new trial is for participants with mild cognitive impairment, however skepticism remains after, “the mixed bag of data coming out from the drug last year, specifically at the CTAD meeting in Barcelona, which tried to use subgroup analyses and biomarker data to build the argument that the anti-amyloid drug was showing a significant effect on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Register to attend the 2019 Aging in America Conference, “Taking Action: A 50-State Strategy for Family Caregiving.” April 15-18, 2019 in New Orleans. Caregiver advocates come together to make their voices heard and unify under a common, 50-state strategy for America’s family caregivers. Register here.