USA2 SPOTLIGHT

Join Alzheimer’s Talks Host Meryl Comer TODAY as she speaks with Dr. Mark Hyman of the Cleveland Clinic and UltraWellness Center. They will discuss Functional Medicine and its innovative approaches to treating Alzheimer's and dementia, and a new ResearchersAgainstAlzheimer's report analyzing the science behind lifestyle changes that may reduce the risk for Alzheimer's disease. 4-5pm (EST).

HUMAN INTEREST

According to a September 9, 2019 People Magazine article, Dr. Oz’s mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “Alzheimer’s is like a snake in the grass,” said Oz. “You don’t see it. You only see the effects of it suddenly. And if there’s a wind blowing the grass, you don’t even notice the grass moving strangely. It sneaks up on you… The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves. Everyone in my family probably could’ve figured this out, myself included. But my wishful thinking was that it was just mom being a little bit older, she’s stressed out, my dad was ill. And so we lost our truth.” Also covered by Today, and ABC News.

MUST READS

A September 9, 2019 Physician’s Weekly article reported that shares of Neurotrope dove nearly 80% after the company reported that its experimental Alzheimer’s disease treatment, Bryostatin-1, did not meet the main mid-stage goal. The study did not find any significant difference in patients after 13 weeks on the drug, compared to placebo. This is the second time in as many years the treatment did not hit its targets.

CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

A September 9, 2019 ACADIA Pharmaceuticals news release announced that its Phase 3 HARMONY study, evaluating pimavanserin for the treatment of dementia-related psychosis, met its primary endpoint. The FDA previously granted it “Breakthrough Therapy Designation.” According to Jeffrey Cummings, MD, ScD of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center, “Psychosis adds dramatically to the marked burden that dementia patients already carry and is one of the most challenging-to-manage aspects of the disease for caregivers. With no approved treatment options available today for dementia-related psychosis, the pimavanserin study results represent a meaningful advance that will potentially bring us a much needed therapy for this debilitating disease.”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A September 7, 2019 The Catholic Register article focused on the work of Dementia Advocacy Canada (DAC) to get the country’s National Dementia Strategy on the forefront of people and politicians’ minds in advance of the federal election by getting it on all five political parties’ agendas. According to the article, “The National Dementia Strategy has three goals: “prevent dementia; advance therapies and find a cure; and improve the quality of life of people living with dementia and caregivers.” More than 402,000 Canadians over 65 are now living with dementia and 16,000 have experienced early onset dementia, according to figures provided by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI). …The estimated total health care system costs for persons with dementia are projected to reach $16.6 billion by 2031.”