By Briana Vannozzi
Correspondent
“Good news.”
That’s 82-year-old Alzheimer’s patient Elizabeth Koffah reacting to hopeful news about an experimental medication that may slow the progression of the disease.
“They had actually run a study with this drug several years ago and they did not get great results with it,” said Dr. Martin Herman, cognitive behavior neurologist at the JFK Medical Center Neuroscience Institute.
But scientists with drug giant Eli Lilly took a second look at their data and found the medication — which targets the brain clogging protein called amyloid — had promising results by slowing cognitive decline for early stage patients.
“The hypothesis is that somehow this amyloid deposition then triggers another protein called tau, which is toxic,” Dr. Herman said.
The tau protein kills neurons. Many researchers believe it’s a main cause of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Herman explains the protein forms abnormal clusters or plaques in the fluid and blood vessels around cells.
“If you can attack the amyloid, then theoretically what you’re doing is getting rid of it and if there’s no amyloid that triggers this tau reaction and you won’t progress,” he said.
“The medication she’s on right now doesn’t seem to be doing any good so that’s great news if it works,” said son and caregiver Sammy Saab.
“Until now we’ve really waffled on whether or not to do the early testing because since we could only treat symptoms when they arrive it seemed to be more of an issue of causing depression in people by giving a diagnosis unnecessarily so now that there’s the possibility of a treatment that will slow the progression of a disease. It seems very important to catch it early,” said Dr. Martin Gizzi, chairman of the JFK Neuroscience Institute.
“It’s sad to see your loved one fading away. It’s almost like the person is dead while they’re still alive,” Saab said.
The drug is now heading to the phase three trial, which is the final step before FDA approval. If it works it could add years to patients’ lives and mean they’ll be able to live at home longer.
“It’s been 12 years since we’ve had a new medication approved for Alzheimer’s disease. The thing with medical research is, you’re not finished until you’re finished,” said Keith Fargo of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I think we’re two to three years away before a useful drug will be on the market,” Dr. Gizzi said.
Researchers warn to approach this data with cautious optimism. It’s said to be the equivalent of a poll before an election — it gives a hint of what to expect, but not the final outcome.