Combination Drug Regimens Hold Great Promise for Alzheimer Treatment.

Health & Medical Writers

STOCKHOLM, Sweden--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2002

A variety of potential new drug therapies are in development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease using different approaches that may offer additional hope when used in combination, according to a number of studies presented at the 8th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.

The only medications currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for people with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease are in the class called cholinesterase inhibitors. Memantine is a different type of drug approved for treating Alzheimer's disease in Europe but still under FDA review. An observational study presented at the Stockholm conference by researchers at Merz + Co. of Germany found that memantine and a cholinesterase inhibitor can be administered together safely.

"We are beginning to see signs of continuing maturation in the field of treating Alzheimer's disease," said William Thies, Ph.D., vice president of medical and scientific affairs for the Alzheimer's Association. "Additional research is necessary but it is likely that a combination of multiple approaches will be proven to be safe and effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's in the future."

A great deal of research presented at the conference focused on inhibiting the production or accumulation of beta-amyloid, which is critical to understanding whether beta-amyloid is the right target for drug development and whether inhibiting its production also inhibits the progression of the disease.

"The second phase of Alzheimer treatment will likely be characterized by anti-amyloid approaches," said Ezio Giacobini, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Geneva. "This new phase will probably begin with a combination of different interventions aimed at improving the patient symptomatically as well as to slow down disease progression."

Antioxidants, lipid-lowering agents and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the other potential therapies that may prove to be effective when used in combination at different phases of the disease or as preventive agents for treatment or at-risk individuals.

"We are on the verge of a worldwide epidemic of Alzheimer's disease unless we come up with effective interventions," said Thies. "But, as we're seeing during the conference this week, promising therapies are on the horizon."

Four million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease and that number may go as high as 16 million by 2050 as the baby boom generation ages. Until recently, age and family history were the only well-established risk factors for Alzheimer's. But, for the first time, researchers may be on the verge of a better understanding of how people may be able to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease.

The Alzheimer's Association is hosting the 8th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders, July 20-25, 2002, in Stockholm, Sweden. The conference is the largest gathering of Alzheimer researchers in history. As many as 4,000 researchers from around the world will present and discuss the findings of nearly 2,000 studies on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The Alzheimer's Association is the premier source of information and support for the millions of Americans with Alzheimer's. The largest private funder of Alzheimer research in the United States, the Association has committed $138 million toward research into the disease.

Abstract Nos.   317 and 1050

Titles: Tolerability of memantine in combination with cholinesterase
        inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (317)
        Future combination therapies in Alzheimer's disease (1050)

Sessions: Sunday, July 21, 2002
          12:30-2:45 p.m.
          Tuesday, July 23, 2002
          10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Researchers: Susanne Hartmann (317) and Ezio Giacobini, M.D., Ph.D.,
University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland (1050)

Editor's Note: News releases of selected research presented at the 8th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders are available on the Alzheimer's Association's Web site, at www.alz.org/internationalconference/newsroom.htm. Scientific abstracts are accessible on the Web at http://www.alz.org/internationalconference/programs.htm, then click on Program Navigator link.