Various pills

Some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have reduced their research into Alzheimer’s disease after a number of trials costing hundreds of millions of pounds, have failed.

Both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have stopped trials on the experimental drug, Bapineuzumab, after high profile clinical trials have failed. They have both said they will no longer continue trials for the drug in an injectable form. This is just one drug which has been tested with disappointing results over the last five years, with one drug tested even making symptoms worse.

Dr Karran, the science director at the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, believes that pharmaceutical companies seem to be less willing to gamble on dementia treatments and that perhaps the cost of patient trials could be met with a form of public-private funding.

What this story indicates is that pharmaceutical companies are perhaps more business led than they may like to appear. Of course, companies want to see a return on their investments, but there is also a need for this important research, in a society where the number of people suffering from dementia is expected to triple by 2050.

This is also highlighted by the reduction in research into antibiotics because they are not the “money-spinners” they once were. Drug resistant super bugs mean that developing antibiotics which may not work is less appealing than drug development for conditions requiring long term medication, such as statins and antidepressants.

A full article is available here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drug-giants-give-up-on-alzheimers-cure-8153606.html

 

C-reactive protein drawn from PDB 1GNH by JFW

However, research into Alzheimer’s has proven that it is a disease which can be caused by low level inflammation in the body. Most of the time it can take 15 years for symptoms to show, by which time it is too late to treat or reverse.

The good news is that the C-reactive protein which indicates inflammation in the body, is easily detected with a blood test, so perhaps testing earlier in life could indicate whether someone may develop this and other degenerative diseases.

Here is more information on this and how you can try and counter inflammation in your daily life.

http://livingto150.com/aging-and-longevity-4-inflammation/

 

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

{ 0 comments }

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois have discovered that changes to the amount of a certain type of bacteria present in the gut, could be a trigger for the disease Rheumatoid Arthritis.

It is hoped that a test for these bacteria could help towards early detection of the disease, and have a positive impact on the treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto immune disease which occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the joints, as it would an invading bacterium, for example. It is most common in the wrists, hands and feet. It can develop very quickly and cause lasting damage to cartilage and bone. This is why detecting and treating the disease as early as possible is so important.

There is still much more research to be done, including more genomic sequencing to see if there are markers for predisposition, among other things. However, there is no denying that this discovery is an excellent advance in the research.

http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/news/general-news/2012/june/bacterial-changes-in-the-gut-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease.aspx

Enhanced by Zemanta

{ 0 comments }

New Drug Could be the Cure for Arthritis

May 16, 2012

Scientists have made a discovery which could have a major effect on treating arthritis in the future. The Scripps Institute in California and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation in San Diego have discovered a molecule which seemingly can re-grow cartilage. The molecule, called Kartogenin has shown that it spurs cartilage regeneration in [...]

Read the full article →

Most Effective Way to Battle Arthritis

May 16, 2012

More and more people in Britain are suffering with Arthritis, approximately 8.5 million in fact, and this figure is set to almost double in the next 20 years, according to experts. They say the reason for this is increasing lifespan and poor lifestyles. So, fresh hope for sufferers came recently, when doctors said that simple [...]

Read the full article →

Heart and Circulation Deaths Halved

March 19, 2012

Deaths from heart and circulation problems have halved in the UK over the past 8 years. One reason for this is the improvements in people’s diet, which have contributed to a widespread reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Also, medical treatments have improved and are more effective than they were 10 years ago. The [...]

Read the full article →

Hope For Alzheimer’s Disease

March 19, 2012

It has been found that an existing drug can significantly reverse the presence of the plaques in the brain which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The results were obtained from mouse studies but are so significant that it is thought they would apply to humans. The plaques in the brain which cause the effects of [...]

Read the full article →

Puzzles Reduce Dementia

January 20, 2012

Those who carry out “brain exercises” are much less likely to suffer from dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Keeping the brain active helps to maintain the synaptic pathways through it – the very pathways which allow thinking to occur. Any sort of exercise will help in maintaining these essential pathways, and a program of such [...]

Read the full article →

Beat Alzheimer’s simply – Through Diet

January 20, 2012

A recent study shows that the £60million a year ($85million) that Britons spend on fish oil capsules is money well spent – in helping avoid Alzheimer’s disease. Anybody in the natural healthcare profession is able to tell you that supplementing your diet with fish oil capsules, plus eating oily fish up to 3 times a [...]

Read the full article →

Smoking Linked to Breast Cancer

November 28, 2011

Though it has long been known for sure that smoking is associated with cancer of the lung, oesophagus, throat and larynx (and probably some others…) its role in breast cancer has been questioned. This is because it has something of a protective effect as well, because it tends to block oestrogen, which can reduce breast [...]

Read the full article →

Alzheimer’s Early Warning

November 28, 2011

An early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease is more possible due to a recently developed test. The disease will be able to be identified years before symptoms are seen. Early detection is important because early treatment delays the onset significantly. The study was of 300 people in their 70s and 80s who showed no memory loss [...]

Read the full article →
Alzheimers Progress Using Stem Cells