USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A February 7, 2017 Healio article reported that UsAgainstAlzheimer’s recently launched an engagement strategy to address the underrepresentation of blacks and Latinos in neurological research, by establishing a network of diverse researchers, patients, caregivers and stakeholder groups. An online network to facilitate future minority research engagement and knowledge sharing will be developed by an advisory panel of blacks and Latinos with Alzheimer’s, as well as caregivers, community and faith leaders, researchers and primary care providers serving minorities. “Given the tremendous public health risk that Alzheimer’s and dementia poses to Latino families, it is essential to develop community-based approaches and partnerships that enable researchers, health professionals, policymakers and families to better understand and address these conditions,” said Jason Resendez, project co-lead and Executive Director, LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s.

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A February 8, 2017 New York Times Magazine query to The Ethicist by an anonymous scientist, who recently received a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s, asks if it’s ethical to try treatments on him/herself. Kwame Anthony Appiah’s reponse seems to be of two minds. On the one hand, he agrees that many important research breakthroughs have been the result of the scientist experimenting on themselves.  On the other, it ventures into some potentially risky areas such as theft, breach of contract and biosafety hazards.

A February 8, 2017 Chicago Tribute article reported on lawsuits against the memory-loss Toledo Clinic Cognitive Center (through the Toledo Clinic), opened in 2015, which issued more than 50 false diagnoses of Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Sherry-Ann Jenkins, the former Director, has a doctorate in physiological science, but no medical or psychology license. Some former patients appeared in articles touting the benefits of the center’s holistic treatments, including memory games and daily coconut oil doses. They report that Jenkins fought hard against medication and getting a second opinion. One former patient took his own life.

A February 7, 2017 The Hill article reported on the need to shift attention away from ‘magic bullet’ rescue medicine and toward lifelong incremental medicine to effectively treat diseases like Alzheimer’s. Aspects of the incrementalist mindset resonate with the person-centered care approach, allowing patients to have a voice in their own treatment. Increased research on person-centered care and its modes of delivery are needed to determine its effectiveness, requiring buy-in from funding agencies. Person-centered care is consistent with the development of the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI). A lack of Medicare coverage and variable state-by-state requirements will need to be addressed by healthcare reform.

INDUSTRY UPDATES

A February 8, 2017 Reuters article reported that two late-stage clinical trials testing an experimental Alzheimer's drug, from Denmark's Lundbeck, have failed. Idalopirdine (a 5-HT6 antagonist) was aimed at treating symptoms of the brain disorder, rather than halting progression of the underlying disease. Drugs working to block 5-HT6 are designed to promote the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter needed for normal cognition. The idea is to use them alongside the existing drug donepezil to help patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Cholinesterase inhibitors, like donepezil, are currently among the few medical options for treating Alzheimer's patients.