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MUSC researcher makes major finding in Alzheimer’s trial by Tim Gehret Public Relations An MUSC researcher has made major headway in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease through a drug trial that significantly reduces the psychological effects brought on by the disease.   Jacobo Mintzer, M.D., professor in the departments of Neurosciences, Psychiatry and in the MUSC Center on Aging, announced the landmark progress this week at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Madrid, Spain. The announcement focused on the results of a Phase 2 trial of an investigational drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, known as Flurizan. The presentation described the measure of time to psychiatric events (TPE) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and an analysis of  the overall clinical trial of the safety and efficacy of Flurizan.   TPE monitors patients for the occurrence of psychiatric problems such as agitation, aggression, confusional state and depression. During the course of the 12-month study conducted at more than 50 sites nationwide, Mintzer’s study found that approximately 35 percent of participants taking a placebo experienced cognitive and behavioral impairment. However, patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease who took 800 mg of Flurizan twice daily had significantly fewer negative events (14 percent). In addition, the time that elapsed prior to the occurrence of such an event was significantly longer in patients on Flurizan than those on a placebo (333 days for Flurizan versus 106 days for a placebo), suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease patients on Flurizan more slowly than those on a placebo.   “The decrease in number of psychiatric events and the dramatic lengthening in time before patients experienced such events while on Flurizan is an important feature for spouses and caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, as well as for the patients themselves,” said Mintzer. “These events can be as troubling as the more widely recognized memory loss and decline in cognition to those involved in the devastating deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s disease.”   An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a number that is expected to grow to 16 million by 2050. Flurizan, developed by Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics Inc., is the first in a new class of compounds that lowers levels of beta-amyloid, believed to be the prime factor in buildup of a memory-robbing plaque in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers. Flurizan differs from other Alzheimer’s drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration by preventing formation of the amyloid plaque (sticky substance on the nerve endings in the brain) that contributes to the senile characteristic of the disease.   Based on the positive Phase 2 results, Myriad is enrolling patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease in a Phase 3 trial at 130 centers across the United States. The Phase 3 trial is a double blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients will be randomized into one of two arms, receiving either 800 mg of Flurizan or a placebo twice daily for the duration of the 18-month trial period. The study is designed to determine Flurizan’s ability to reduce the rate of cognitive decline and activities of daily living in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, as measured by the ADAS-cog test and the change in ADCS-ADL, respectively.   More information can be obtained by calling (888) 459-4888.     Friday, July 21, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.