Recently, researchers at King’s College London published a study in Translational Psychiatry on a feedback loop underlying brain degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that, they suggest, may be the reason so many clinical trials targeting this disease have failed. In this new study, the researchers found that when amyloid beta (Abeta) destroys a synapse, the...
Understanding the obstacles inherent in Alzheimer’s clinical trials, from high screen failure rates to lengthy trial durations that are demanding for both patients and caregivers, can help sponsors plan for – and overcome – these challenges. Despite intensive research, nearly 15 years have passed since the lastnew Alzheimer’s disease medication was approved. For those living...
Since the mid-1990s, researchers have struggled to enroll sufficient numbers of patients in their trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) therapies. As a result, few new therapies have actually come to market—which is tragic for the 47 million people currently living with the disease. Three key strategies, executed in concert, may help overcome recruitment issues in...
Most trials for potential Alzheimer disease (AD) treatments fail—and the reason may be poor protocol design. After all, typical AD studies are double-blind placebo-controlled parallel group clinical trials with a dual outcome, including a cognitive measure and a global impression of aptitude for the activities of daily living—a trial design originally developed to study cholinesterase...
Roughly 47 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) — a number that is expected to increase to 75 million by 2030 and 150 million by 2050. Researchers are pursuing a range of treatments: disease modifying, symptomatic treatment and therapy for behavioral issues. Yet no new therapy has been approved since...
For the estimated 30 million people worldwide who have Alzheimer’s disease, progress toward understanding and treating this most prevalent form of dementia is frustratingly slow. The few approved drugs address only the condition’s symptoms, though scores of drugs to prevent onset or alter the disease’s course are now under study. From high screen failure rates...