A vaccine that targets
beta-amyloid - a protein thought to play a central role in the development of
Alzheimer's disease - triggered a protective response in 48 of 58 people
involved in a three-year study of the agent. The vaccine, known as CAD106, was
also generally well tolerated.
For the investigation,
participants were randomly assigned to receive injections containing CAD106 (50
or 150 micrograms [μg]) or placebo at baseline and two more times within the
next five months.
About 67 percent of participants
who received the 50-μg injections of CAD106 and 82 percent of those who
received the 150-μg injections developed sufficient beta-amyloid antibody to be
considered "responders." In contrast, no participant who received
placebo had measurable beta-amyloid antibody.
Most (97 percent) of the
CAD106-treated participants experienced adverse events; however, they generally
were mild and included a sore throat and runny nose, fatigue, headache, redness
or pain at the injection site, fever and chills. Nine patients had serious
adverse events, but none seemed to be related to CAD106 treatment.
Worth watching. Larger trials
are needed to further establish efficacy and safety, but CAD106 seems to be
worth watching. The study was published in Lancet Neurology (Volume 11, page
597).
(Source:
John Hopkins Health Alert, posted in Memory on 25 February 2013)
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