Magic pill for Alzheimer’s?
DEAR DR. GOTT:
What is the latest information about the early-Alzheimer’s pill? How early or at what age or at what signs should it be taken?
DEAR READER:
My guess is that you are referring to Rember, what we all hope will be a breakthrough drug. It is a new formulation of methylene blue, an old product. More than two years ago, British scientists reported a new drug that was designed to slow Alzheimer’s disease. The trial involved 321 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s in the United Kingdom and Singapore. The patients were divided into four groups, three of which took different doses of Rember, and the fourth was provided a placebo. Following testing, those in the first three groups experienced an 81 percent decrease in symptoms, while those taking the placebo worsened. The drug was developed to target and dissolve “tangles” in the brain that destroy nerve cells and lead to memory deterioration. While this (and other) drugs cannot reverse the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s, it appeared to stabilize it. Results suggest the drug is almost 2 ½ times more effective than existing drugs currently on the market.
The results of the study were presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s in Chicago and have been touted as the most realistic evidence that a new drug can improve cognition in people with the disease. It brings new hope to both sufferers and their caregivers.
A consulting psychiatrist monitored the program and indicated those on Rember were more confident and better able to cope with daily activity and didn’t experience the level of mental decline expected. The trial was a Phase 2 study that was geared toward checking the safety and efficacy of the drug. If the results of future studies are as promising as indicated in this study, the medication might be made available for prescribing.
Research remains ongoing to investigate methods of early-stage diagnosis and to determine when the tangles are first formed in the brain, perhaps when people are still in their 50s. It is hoped the drug may even be used as a preventive, but more extensive research must be conducted before we can approach that issue. Larger trials are now required to confirm the safety of the drug and to determine how far its effects can go to benefit the people living with Alzheimer’s. More than 5 million Americans are living with this disease. Up to 500,000 are under the age of 65. In 2008, more than 700,000 Britons had dementia, with the majority suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In answer to your question, the drug is still in the trial stages, with more testing to go before it might – and I say might – become available by prescription. A major and perhaps insurmountable concern is funding. The cost of Aricept for the treatment of Alzheimer’s is about $9 per pill. However, when we compare the cost of home health, nursing facilities and hospitalizations, the study might be on the right track.
Stay tuned for news on this exciting development as it evolves.
To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order made payable to Newsletter and mailed to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0267. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.