Page 14 - HOSPITAAL

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 31 July 2018
Hopes rise again for a drug to slow Alzheimer's disease

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE the companies said the percent of people on the
AP Chief Medical Writer drug didn't meet statistical highest dose saw all signs
CHICAGO (AP) — Hopes goals. But after 18 months, of them disappear after
are rising again for a drug to they saw a benefit in the 18 months, an Eisai official
alter the course of Alzheim- highest dose group. said.
er's disease after decades What makes it tricky, Side effects leading to
of failures. An experimental though, is that they used a discontinuation of treat-
therapy slowed mental de- new way to measure men- ment occurred in 19 per-
cline by 30 percent in pa- tal decline, a scale that cent of those on the high
tients who got the highest combines parts of three dose and 6 percent of the
dose in a mid-stage study, other widely used tests. This dummy treatment group.
and it removed much of is the first study to use that Cases of brain swelling,
the sticky plaque gumming measure, and it's unclear which have been seen in
up their brains, the drug's how much of a difference other treatments targeting
makers said Wednesday. a 30 percent slowing of de- the plaques in the brain,
The results have been high- cline makes — whether it occurred in two people in
ly anticipated and have allows someone to contin- the placebo group and 16
sent the stock of the two This Oct. 7, 2003 file photo shows a section of a human ue to bathe or feed himself, of those in the high dose
companies involved soar- brain with Alzheimer's disease on display at the Museum of for instance. group.
ing in recent weeks. Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo, in Buffalo, N.Y. "It's intriguing, but these are Other dementia experts
The drug from Eisai and Associated Press designs we're not used to were encouraged.
Biogen did not meet its seeing," and it will require "That's a very hopeful out-
main goal in a study of 856 with more work, dementia worldwide have dementia, more study for doctors to come. It means we may be
participants, so overall, experts said. But they wel- and Alzheimer's is the most feel comfortable with this on the right track," said an-
it was considered a flop. comed any glimmer of suc- common type. There is no as a measure of success, other scientist with no role
But company officials said cess after multiple failures. cure— current medicines said one independent ex- in the work, Dr. Stephen
that 161 people who got "We're cautiously optimis- just ease symptoms. Some pert, Dr. Julie Schneider Salloway, neurology chief
the highest dose every two tic," said Maria Carrillo, previous efforts to develop of Rush University Medical at Brown University in Provi-
weeks for 18 months did chief science officer of the a drug to slow the disease Center in Chicago. dence, Rhode Island.
significantly better than 245 Alzheimer's Association, may have been tried too On one traditional measure Dr. Reisa Sperling, a neurol-
people who were given a whose international confer- late, after much damage of thinking skills, those at the ogist at Harvard-affiliated
dummy treatment. ence in Chicago featured had already occurred. The highest dose declined 47 Brigham and Women's Hos-
There are lots of caveats the results. new drug aimed sooner, in percent less than people pital in Boston, said it's im-
about the work, which was "A 30 percent slowing of de- people with early Alzheim- given a dummy treatment. portant to realize that this
led by company scien- cline is something I would er's, and the drug works at Brain scans added evi- is not a cure, just possibly a
tists rather than academic want my family member to an earlier step in formation dence that the drug might slowing of decline.
researchers and not re- have," and the drug's ability of the sticky brain plaques. be effective. All partici- "We're not suddenly return-
viewed by outside experts. to clear the brain plaques Study participants were pants had signs of the ing people back to their
The study also was too small "looks pretty amazing," she given one of five doses of sticky plaques that are the pre-Alzheimer's baseline,"
to be definitive and the re- said. BAN2401 or a dummy treat- hallmark of Alzheimer's at she said.q
sults need to be confirmed About 50 million people ment via IV. After one year, the start of the study, but 81

Algae blooms force Poland to

shut down 50 Baltic Sea beaches

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — unusually warm sea. Baltic teria colonies have grown
Thinking of a dip in the Bal- Sea water temperatures and pose a health threat.
tic Sea to cool off from the exceeded 23 degrees Cel- Regional sanitation au-
unusually scorching Euro- sius (73.4F) in some places thorities have issued warn-
pean summer? It's too hot Thursday. ings that contact with the
for that. Emergency water rescu- bacteria may cause aller-
Authorities in Poland this ers told vacationers on hot gies and rashes. Drinking
week banned swimming sandy beaches — from contaminated water can
In this photo taken Wednesday July 25, 2018, the waters of at over 50 beaches along Swinoujscie in the west to also lead to serious diges-
Zegrze Reservoir made green by cyanobacteria bloom that its Baltic coast, after hot Gdynia in the east — not to tive problems.
has led authorities to ban bathers from getting into the water, weather led to the toxic enter the sea, where thick The Baltic Sea has not seen
in Zegrze, near Warsaw, Poland. growth of bacteria in the green-brown cyanobac- such intense growth of cy-
Associated Press anobacteria for 12 years.
It results from exception-
ally high air temperatures
of 34 degrees Celsius (93.2
degrees Fahrenheit) that
have raised the tempera-
tures of the usually cold
Baltic. A similar ban has
been issued for some in-
land lakes and reservoirs,
such as the Zegrze Resevoir
near Warsaw.q