Alzheimer’s drug studied at Butler Hospital shows early promise

RESULTS OF clinical trial of a Alzheimer's disease treatment studied at Butler Hospital showed it could potentially be used to slow the symptoms of the disease. / COURTESY BUTLER HOSPITAL

PROVIDENCE – The results of clinical trials of an investigational drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease studied at Butler Hospital showed significant results in people with early symptomatic AD, Care New England Health System announced Monday.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that the drug, donanemab, holds promise as a potential early treatment for Alzheimer’s. The drug was studied at Butler Hospital’s memory and aging program as part of the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ study, which was conducted at 61 research sites across the United States and Canada. 

Dr. Stephen Salloway, director of the memory and aging program and of neurology at Butler Hospital and the Martin M. Zucker professor of psychiatry and human behavior and professor of neurology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, was a co-author of the NEJM article, CNE said. He was the principal investigator of the study at Butler and a lead investigator on the trial.

“This is yet another significant and encouraging milestone in what has proven to be a momentous year in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. In the last 12 months we’ve seen significant advancements in diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s,” Salloway said. “With this kind of momentum we are on the verge of important breakthroughs for Alzheimer’s disease. The memory and aging program and our partners and colleagues in research across Rhode Island have played a large part in those advancements, as have the many Rhode Islanders who have selflessly participated in these studies. I’m just so grateful for that collaboration and participation. It’s what is fueling every step forward that we collectively take in this fight.”

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The drug is made by Eli Lily and Co.

The company said that researchers found that that the drug resulted in significant slowing of decline in a composite measure of cognition and daily function in people with early symptomatic AD, compared to a placebo. The drug works by targeting the amyloid plaque and tau protein build-up in the brain that is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

“The immediate goal is to provide treatments that will slow cognitive impairment in people experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. At the same time we’re also testing treatments to prevent or delay memory loss in people at risk. We are on the cusp of a watershed moment in Alzheimer’s disease treatment that could change the lives of millions of people around the world,” Salloway said.

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