Pfizer’s Drug Against Alzheimer’s Fails 1st Study

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Pfizers Drug Against Alzheimers Fails 1st Study

• norton-scientificcollection.com/collection

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HEALTH NEWS
Bapineuzumab, the treatment being developed by
Elan, Johnson Johnson and Pfizer for
Alzheimers disease has failed to show signs of
effectiveness in one of the four late-stage tests
in patients.
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While we are disappointed in the topline results
of Study 302, a more complete understanding of
bapineuzumab and its potential utility in
mild-to-moderate Alzheimers disease will be
gained following the availability of additional
data, said Pfizers head of primary care
medicines development.
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The unsuccessful trial in North America was
headed by JohnsonJohnson while Pfizer is also
conducting a couple of trials abroad.
Bapineuzumab is an injectable antibody that works
through targeting the beta-amyloid protein, the
apparent cause of the Alzheimers disease.
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Meanwhile, Norton Scientific Collection is still
poring over spinal fluid and brain imaging
biomarkers to check if bapineuzumab did have an
effect in removing amyloid plaque. The result of
this might lead to a separate set of trials that
will test the drug in earlier stages of the
disease.
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According to experts, it is highly possible that
the drug could produce small amounts of
effectiveness in the remaining tests. Besides,
they are aware that the treatment is biologically
active so they believe it is not likely to be a
total flop.
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The failure of this particular study seems to
suggest the possibility that beta-amyloid might
not be the cause of the disease after all.
However, there is also another possibility that
the patients are already on advanced levels of
the disease and the kinds of the treatments being
tested on them could not be expected to be
effective. Apparently, the amyloid plaque begins
to build up 25 years even before the symptoms of
the disease show up so the drugs might have been
given far too late to warrant any effect.
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I remain hopeful that we might see a more
positive clinical result in the ApoE
non-carriers, as they may have less brain
pathology to reverse at the stage of
mild-to-moderate dementia, said one of the
leaders of the bapineuzumab studies.
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Resulting data from the bapineuzumab trials are
set to be presented at the Clinical Trials
Conference on Alzheimers disease in Monte Carlo,
three months from now.