|
| Date : 7/21/2008 |
|
Hour : 10:57:27 AM |
| Resource : Reuters |
| Summery : Alzheimer's patients given a popular rheumatoid arthritis drug showed seemingly dramatic improvements in a small study, but some doctors worried that the early findings will raise premature hopes in patients and their families.
The study, reported on Sunday in the journal BioMed Central BMC Neurology, involved 12 patients who had greatly improved language recall shortly after treatment with Enbrel, or etanercept, an anti-inflammatory drug co-marketed by Amgen and Wyeth. |
|
"We often see verbal effects within a few minutes of the first dose," said Dr. Edward Tobinick, director of the Institute for Neurological Research, a private medical group inc., in Los Angeles, who led the study.
Tobinick invented and holds several patents on a special method of injecting the drug into the neck. He said he charges anywhere between $10,000 and $40,000 per patient for the treatments.
In January, Tobinick's report on a single patient, and release of a striking video, drew the attention of the Alzheimer's Association, which released a statement expressing concern.
"People with Alzheimer's and their families may place undue value on this new finding based on the dramatic language used in its description and the apparent immediate effect," the group said.
Read more at : http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080720/hl_nm/alzheimers_drug_dc
|