http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/...lts-19430.html

A very small trial of an experimental vaccine has shown enough success and safety to encourage researchers to continue testing it with a larger group of people.



The aim was for those receiving the vaccine to develop an antibody response to beta-amyloid, a substance that builds up as plaque in the brain and kills brain cells.

It's formed by the breaking down of a protein in the outer membrane of nerve cells, and researchers hope a vaccine that prevents the build-up of beta-amyloid may also stave off Alzheimer's disease.

The study participants, aged 50 to 80, had mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and were split into two groups for a study period lasting a year.

In one group of 31 patients, 24 received 50μg of CAD106 and seven received a placebo. In the second group of 27 patients, 22 received 150μg of CAD106 and five received the placebo...



In the first group, 67 percent of the patients receiving the vaccine developed the antibody response the researchers were looking for. In the second group, 82 percent of the CAD106-treated participants had the antibody response. One person who received the placebo had the antibody levels as well.

It will require long-term follow-ups to see if the antibody response results in actually reducing or preventing beta-amyloid and whether this prevents the deterioration of the disease...


The researchers concluded that CAD106 appears to be safe so far and leads to an antibody response in a substantial number of those who received the shot.

The study appeared online June 6 in the journal Lancet Neurology. The study was funded by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis.