Test on Elan Alzheimer's drug offers hope of breakthrough

RESULTS OF A trial on the most advanced Alzheimer’s disease therapy of Irish biotech group Elan suggest it is successful in reducing deposits on the brain of a key protein associated with the disease.

The PET-PIB study found that the amount of beta amyloid in the brain fell by 25 per cent in patients treated with the drug bapineuzumab for 18 months, according to results reported in the journal Lancet Neurology.

The study also showed it was possible to use advanced imaging technology to monitor the effects of potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. This was a primary aim of the study. Until now, it was only possible to assess such effects at autopsy. Shares in Elan rose close to 5 per cent in US trade following publication of the data.

Access to bapineuzumab was one of the primary reasons behind the decision of US medical care giant Johnson Johnson to invest $1.4 billion for an 18.4 per cent stake in Elan last year. As part of that investment, JJ assumed control of Elan’s half share in the bapineuzumab project, which was transferred to a new entity. However, Elan retains rights to 49.9 per cent of any eventual profits from the development of the drug, which is being researched in association with Pfizer/Wyeth.

While the trial was not too small to provide solid evidence of the efficacy and the safety of the disease, it showed the treatment was generally well tolerated. Two patients on the highest dose had short-term brain swelling and that dosage has been withdrawn from the Phase III trials which will eventually see 4,000 patients enrolled.

There are several Alzheimer’s drugs on the market but these only treat the symptoms of the disease. The companies involved in the bapineuzumab project believe it could be the first drug to treat the underlying cause of the brain disease The trials, which involved just 28 people, took place in Finland and the UK

While the imaging technology used in the test may someday be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, its greatest promise at the moment is to help design and develop drugs to treat the disease, said researcher William Klunk. – (Additional reporting Bloomberg)