Monterey, CA Caregivers For Alzheimer's Patients Have Hope, Solanezumab Shows Promise For Early Stage Dementia Patients

There's a dearth of drugs on the market for Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating condition for which there is no cure.  Sadly, the drug-industry trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, recently released a report calculating that 123 experimental therapies for Alzheimer’s disease failed between 1998 and 2014 while only four drugs made it to market.  One ray of hope;  Those with mild Alzheimer’s disease who started taking an experimental drug developed by Eli Lilly & Co. early in the course of their disease fared better than patients who started later in a clinical trial.  Called Solanezumab, the drug may slow the decline of memory and function in mild Alzheimer’s patients, despite prior studies with negative results.  A separate, continuing study due to end in late 2016 is designed to more definitively test its efficacy and safety.  The new results showed that the patients who started therapy earlier retained an advantage in cognition and daily function over those who started later, and that this difference persisted for two years.  Unfortunately, most of the drugs which have been brought to market only last a year or two, there is no long-term cure.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away, and I have been working diligently with the Monterey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to raise money to find a cure.  In addition to being the largest private funder of Alzheimer's research in the United States, they have support groups and a 24-hour hotline (800-272-3900) where a dedicated staff can help you if you are struggling with caring for a loved one with the disease.  Family inHome Caregiving will be attending the Monterey Memory Walk on September 26 starting at Custom House Plaza in downtown Monterey.  We are currently the number one fundraising team.  If you would like to walk with us, to join our team or to donate, please click here.