First drug that can slow Alzheimer's dementia

[nitpicker]

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50137041

First drug that can slow Alzheimer's dementia

By Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

22 October 2019

A US drug company says it has created the first therapy that could slow Alzheimer's disease, and it is now ready to bring it to market.

Currently, there are no drugs that can do this - existing ones only help with symptoms.

Biogen says it will soon seek regulatory approval in the US for the "groundbreaking" drug, called aducanumab.

It plans to file the paperwork in early 2020 and has its sights on Europe too.

Approval processes could take a year or two. If successful, the company aims to initially offer the drug to patients previously enrolled in clinical studies of the drug.

The announcement is somewhat surprising because the company had discontinued work on the drug in March 2019, after disappointing trial results.

But the company says a new analysis of a larger dataset of the same studies shows that higher doses of aducanumab can provide a significant benefit to patients with early Alzheimer's, slowing their clinical decline so they preserve more of their memory and every day living skills - things that the disease usually robs.

Aducanumab targets a protein called amyloid that forms abnormal deposits the brains of people with Alzheimer's. Scientists think these plaques are toxic to brain cells and that clearing them using drugs would be a massive advance in dementia treatment, although not a cure.
(snip)

[get the red out]

1. Thank heavens

If I even start going the way of my Grandmother or now Mom, sign me up or please pass laws allowing people to decide to end their lives.

[Cicada]

2. Biogen stock is up 30% so the drug probably has value

[Cetacea]

3. Thank you n/t

[mindem]

4. Of course,

the price will be way too much to afford, putting it out of reach of the average person.

[democratisphere]

7. The wealthiest have already lost their minds.

There may be hope for the rest of US.

[calimary]

5. How much per dose, I wonder.

Will those who need it be able to afford access to it?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. There is good evidence that the plaques form to enclose infections

... that enter through the nose. So keep your nasal passages moist and blow your nose frequently. Keep your immune system in good shape: get flu shot if over 50 or at risk, have exposure to natural bacteria (i.e. soil, gardening, pets), eat antioxidants, don't overdose on animal fat.

The evidence about enclosing infections in the brain comes from an interview on a science program that greatly impressed me. The medical researcher has been working for years against tons of skepticism, but is starting to get recognition now.

My advice above about nasal passages and immune system is my own practice and I would not be able to point to any studies, though I think it is generally sound anyway.

[Siwsan]

8. I think that also taking anti-inflammatories (like CBD, turmeric and garlic) would be beneficial

Garlic has the additional benefit of being a natural antibiotic. I'm convinced that my habit of daily doses of turmeric and garlic greatly mitigated the case of Shingles I had, in 2017. Yea, it was INCREDIBLY uncomfortable but never really painful, the rash was limited and start to finish was just a few weeks.

I added CBD to this routine, just this year.

Admittedly, I worry about these new drugs, both on a basis of cost and side effects.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Yup, not much side effect to garlic except to vampires and co-workers :)

Garlic is good for the heart too (where antibiotics and infections seem to play a role in inflammation), and turmeric appears to play a role in the lower level of dementia experienced by the people in India. I include them in my diet when I can but I understand that capsules are not noxious to co-workers. I hear only good things about CBD though I doubt it is the wonder drug some others seem to think it is.

I got some shingles a couple of years ago, but went to a walk-in clinic the same day I discovered it and got a 7-day course of anti-viral specialized for shingles. It knocked it down in two/three days, but I do pay attention to nutrition too.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. Bookmarking. Thanks nitpicker. nt