I’ve always been fascinated
with the universe. When I look at the moon and stars at night, it makes me
realize what a small speck I am on the landscape of this world.
Throughout my life,
I’ve heard different people proclaim that our world was coming to an end. The
most recent deadline was April 2018. Well, unless something happened that I
wasn’t aware of, we are still here.
When I was a kid,
sometimes I attended a church that believed the end was imminent. The preacher
would actually pray for the world to be destroyed and for the rapture to begin.
I could not throw myself into that prayer wholeheartedly, and I was always
happy to walk outside and see that nothing drastic had happened.
But there is one
end that I could support unequivocally—the end of Alzheimer’s. Exciting news from
the world of research indicates that scientists have finally made an important
breakthrough.
Biogen and Eisai
announced that the drug BAN2401 just finished phase 2 and that the drug
demonstrated slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s. The positive results were
after an 18- month period. This is another drug that targets amyloid beta proteins.
Some researchers had begun to question the amyloid beta approach because of the
massive failures. In fact, Biogen was disappointed in the 12-month data and
considered abandoning the research. Now, they are looking at a phase 3 study.
The predictions are 50% that BAN2401 will be approved.
This is extremely
good news following Pfizer’s announcement that they would abandon development
of an Alzheimer’s drug. Research costs are astronomical and failure is the norm
Thus far, the quest for an effective drug for Alzheimer’s has resulted in a
99.6% failure rate. The FDA has not approved an Alzheimer’s drug in over a
decade.
The Alzheimer’s
drugs on the market today treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and can improve
quality of life for some people with dementia. What they don’t do is slow the
progression of the disease.
A treatment that
slowed the progression or delayed the onset of the disease would result in big
savings for families and the government. According to the Alzheimer’s
Association, if a treatment is found by 2025 that would delay the onset of
Alzheimer’s by five years, it would save $220 billion in the first five years.
By 2050, families would save $87 billion and America $367 billion. By changing
the trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease, we would save lives and dollars.
The question
remains—is the end near? Will BAN2401 be the success story we’ve been waiting
for? Only time will tell. In the meantime, we can all pray fervently that the
end of Alzheimer’s is near.
Copyright © July 2018
by L.S. Fisher
#ENDALZ
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