Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

Take 5 minutes to catch up on NeurologyLive's highlights from the week ending August 6, 2021.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute commented on ongoing research into amyloid plaque-reducing antibody therapies, the approval of aducanumab, and other initiatives with the ability to impact the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

The assistant professor at Cleveland Clinic provided thoughts on the barriers clinicians face when formulating and conducting Alzheimer disease clinical trials with repurposed drugs.

The phase 3 trial of pimavanserin in dementia-related psychosis, HARMONY, was previous halted due to positive efficacy signs at interim analysis. The drug is currently indicated for use in treating Parkinson disease-related psychosis.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the current state of AD trials, as well as his perspective on ongoing efforts to establish prevention therapies.

Results and safety data from the phase 1/2 study of the therapy for Hunter syndrome/MPS II were presented at MPS 2021, the 18th International Symposium on MPS and Released Diseases, on July 25.

The duo from the Critical Path Institute detailed the thought process behind evaluating the importance of specific biomarkers and their relation to disability progression in Alzheimer disease.

The chief medical officer of Cortexyme discussed the company’s investigational agent atuzaginstat, its mechanism of action, and the findings of the phase 2/3 GAIN trial.

Cummings and colleagues presented appropriate use criteria for the newly approved Biogen/Eisai agent at the 2021 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Investigators analyzed electronic health records from 10,095 participants over a median follow-up period of 31.7 years.

Here's what is coming soon to NeurologyLive.

AC Immune, the company presenting the data at the 2021 AAIC meeting, also recently acquired an a-syn vaccine, Affiris PD01.

Phase 1b study results were presented at AAIC 2021, supporting the need for accelerated clinical development of ACI-24 in Alzheimer disease related to DS.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on NeurologyLive's highlights from the week ending July 30, 2021.

Clive Ballard, MD, spoke on the safety data of pimavanserin, which was presented at the 2021 AAIC meeting, held from July 26-30.

The assistant professor at Cleveland Clinic discussed key factors to consider when choosing repurposed drugs that could show max potential in treating Alzheimer disease.

"Mind Moments," a podcast from NeurologyLive, brings you an exclusive interview with Jessica Zwerling, MD, MS.

The ICARE AD-US trial is expected to enroll 6000 participants, with at least 16% of the population aimed at including those from underrepresented communities. The unrelated confirmatory phase 4 trial is still in the process of being designed.

Clive Ballard, MD, professor of age related diseases at University of Exeter, commented on the potential impact that the approval of pimavanserin would have for patients if approved for dementia-related psychosis.

The effect of methylphenidate on Alzheimer disease apathy was observed at 2 months and was sustained throughout the 6 months of the study.

Participants will be enrolled for 18 months, with baseline data provided and compared to the lecanemab phase 2 study cohort.

The duo from the Critical Path Institute discussed how CPAD is revolutionizing data collection within the Alzheimer disease community and the advantages it brings to clinicians.

Clive Ballard, MD, spoke on safety data presented at this year’s AAIC meeting, as well as the impact of symptoms associated with DRP, which can be distressing for individuals and their families.

The therapy, already FDA-approved for individuals with pulmonary artery disease, was significantly associated with reduced likelihood of Alzheimer disease in both the 65-74 year range and those older than 75 years.

Ballard, a professor of age related diseases at University of Exeter, discussed the results from a recent trial of pimavanserin in dementia-related psychosis, and data presented at this year’s AAIC meeting.

Findings presented at AAIC 2021 found that long-term, daily treatment with non-invasive stimulation was both safe and well-tolerated in patients with Alzheimer disease.

Pooled data from the phase 3 clinical development of aducanumab (Aduhelm; Biogen) suggest that ARIA remains a mostly asymptomatic problem, with MRI providing an effective way to monitor events.

The agent, which is FDA-approved for hyperlipidemia, showed significant improvements in plasma glucose, lipid levels, and trends in cardiovascular imaging biomarkers.

Many applicants referenced an early interest and exposure to neurology, often describing their first courses in neurology sparking their desire to learn more about how the brain works.