Positive Safety Data In Human Clinical Study For Alzheimer's

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The Roskamp Institute announced today that it has received positive preliminary results in its major clinical study that is testing a promising new drug application for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
The drug, Nilvadipine, has not shown any major side effects in Alzheimer's disease patients during the initial six months of the study that is being conducted in partnership with the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience in Dublin, Ireland. "This is a good indication that this drug will be safe in patients with Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Michael Mullan, Director of the Roskamp Institute.

This pilot study was the first step in trying to develop a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease, and if it continues to be a success, could change the direction of other studies of dementia. In pre-clinical studies on mice, Nilvadipine was found to decrease the levels in the brain of a protein called beta amyloid. It is the presence of beta amyloid in the brain that is believed to cause the onset of Alzheimer's. The drug was also found to increase the flow of blood to the brain, which is believed to be beneficial in the treatment of the disease.

"While the Roskamp Institute and team of top neuroscience researchers in Ireland are still in the early phases of studying Nilvadipine, it is a great accomplishment that at this stage we are seeing such a strong safety profile in our patients," said Dr. Fiona Crawford, Associate Director of the Roskamp Institute. Meanwhile other researchers in Japan are independently reporting results that support the idea that Nilvadipine will be useful for treating Alzheimer's disease. Patients in the early stages of the disease have shown increases in blood flow to the brain and did better on memory tests when treated with Nilvadipine compared to another antihypertensive drug, Amlodipine.

The Roskamp Institute is devoted to understanding causes of, and finding cures for, diseases of the mind like neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and addictions. The Institute utilizes a broad range of scientific approaches to understanding the causes of and potential therapies for these disorders with an emphasis on Alzheimer's disease.

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