Alzheimer’s treatment significantly slows disease progression by 35% and Re:Cognition Health Proud to Deliver Donanemab Clinical Trial
Re:Cognition Health, a pioneering brain and mind clinic specialising in the delivery of clinical trials, is thrilled by the promising results of the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 study. The trial included 1,736 international participants, 62 from the UK who all participated through Re:Cognition Health’s UK centres in London, Guildford and Birmingham.
The phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigated the efficacy of donanemab in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with early symptoms over an 18-month period.
The results of the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 study show that donanemab slowed cognitive
decline by 35% compared to the placebo. Functional decline, relating to the ability to perform normal daily living such as activities managing finances, engaging in hobbies, conversing about current events and driving- was reduced by 40%, compared to the placebo. Nearly 50% of participants had no clinical progression at 12 months and those at the earliest stage of the disease had the greatest benefit, showing a 60% slowing of decline compared to the placebo.
How does the drug work?
Donanemab is a monoclonal antibody which works by binding to the toxic Amyloid proteins, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s, to clear them from the brain. Amongst all participants on TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2, amyloid plaque was reduced on average by 84% at 18 months, compared to a 1% decrease for participants on placebo.
Dr Emer MacSweeney, CEO and Medical Director at Re:Cognition Health and Principal Investigator for the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 comments, “Re:Cognition Health is honoured to be involved in the clinical investigation of donanemab, which represents a significant advancement in the pursuit of effective Alzheimer’s treatments. We recognize the urgent need for new and innovative therapies to combat Alzheimer’s disease, and we are excited to contribute to the development of this potentially groundbreaking treatment.
“The results of TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 are hugely exciting and we are proud to be offering patients the opportunity to access more opportunities in clinical trials. With every study conducted, we are helping more people and taking greater steps to find a cure and potentially change the course of the disease for thousands of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s.”
Donanemab dosage
Re:Cognition Health is currently running TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 6 in six UK and one USA centres, which is testing the donanemab dosage regimens to reduce the risk of ARIA, where all participants are taking the active medication.
Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis key to treatment opportunities: With so many advances in Alzheimer’s research, it’s imperative that people seek expert advice at the earliest signs of cognitive decline to enable them to potentially access these new-generation medications through clinical trials, to slow and ideally halt disease progression.
Alzheimer’s symptoms
Anyone over 50 experiencing two or more of the following symptoms, which have been gradually progressing over the past 12 months, should seek a diagnosis or contact Re:Cognition Health to find out about clinical trials for other new medications similar to donanemab.
Symptoms of possible Alzheimer’s:
• Short-term memory loss: forgetting details of recent events or conversations and important dates; repeatedly asking the same questions
• Changes in behaviour – unexpected and uncharacteristic anger and changes in mood, perhaps becoming passive and disinterested
• Confusion which could include losing track of time or problems with processing information
• Forgetting words and experiencing problems with speech and language
• Loss of sense of direction, getting lost or becoming disorientated in a familiar environment
• Difficulty in performing everyday (seemingly straightforward) tasks such as making a cup of tea or unpacking the grocery shopping
• Problems with calculation – finding difficulty with managing money or completing simple sums and puzzles
• Misplacing items such as putting keys in the freezer or milk in the dishwasher and not being able to retrace your steps to find these objects
• Difficulty making decisions which may also include making poor decisions, possibly wearing inappropriate clothes given the weather or wearing clothes back to front.
• Issues with visual images and spatial awareness which may include difficulty reading words
For more information about Re:Cognition Health and its clinical trials visit https://recognitionhealth.com/