Commentary
Video
Overviewing Design and Topline Data From Phase 3 APOLLOE4 Study of Valiltramiprosate in Alzheimer Disease: Anton Porsteinsson, MD
Author(s):
The director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research, and Education Program at the University of Rochester provided clinical insight on a pivotal trial testing a novel therapeutic in patients with Alzheimer disease who are carriers of APOE4/4. [WATCH TIME: 7 minutes]
WATCH TIME: 7 minutes
"The APOLLOE4 trial is groundbreaking because it focuses on the highest-risk population for Alzheimer disease. If we can find a safe, effective approach here, it could reshape how we treat ApoE4 carriers moving forward."
Developing effective treatments for apolipoprotein (APOE) e4/4 homozygous carriers of Alzheimer disease (AD) presents significant challenges due to their heightened risk and unique disease progression. These individuals tend to accumulate amyloid pathology earlier and exhibit extensive cerebrovascular involvement, making them more susceptible to complications like ARIA when treated with amyloid-targeting therapies. Additionally, their disease is often more aggressive, with faster cognitive decline and greater neurodegeneration, limiting the window for intervention. The high failure rate of past trials in this subgroup underscores the need for targeted approaches that not only address amyloid pathology but also mitigate associated vascular risks and synaptic toxicity.
At the 2025 AD/PD International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases, held April 1-5 in Vienna, Austria, a group of clinicians from Alzheon presented new data from the phase 3 APOLLOE4 trial (NCT04770220) assessing investigational valiltramiprosate in APOE e4/e4 homozygotes with early AD. In this unique trial, 325 patients with early-stage AD were randomly assigned to either 265 mg valiltramiprosate or placebo for an 18-month period, followed by an optional open-label extension. Patients in the trial were between 50-80 years and had scores between 22-30 on Mini-Mental State Exam, with some exhibiting a high burden of AD pathologies and cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
Following the session, study investigator Anton Porsteinsson, MD, sat down to discuss the uniqueness about the trial, its mission, and some of the topline findings. Porsteinsson, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research, and Education Program at the University of Rochester, discussed the trial’s specialized population, valiltramiprosate’s mechanism in stabilizing amyloid monomers, and its potential impact on synaptic toxicity and neurodegeneration. In addition, he addressed the trial’s cognitive and imaging outcomes, emphasizing differences in response between mild cognitive impairment and mild AD subgroups.
