Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals Inc. (fka RCPIQ)

[Buddhahead]

Some journalists fire another “silver bullet” at Alzheimer’s amyloid target
Posted by [e-mail] in biotech, Business of health, Drug industry, Health care journalism, 24 March 2015

Excerpts:
"A March 20th story in the Boston Globe. “Biogen drug offers hope for patients with Alzheimer’s,” was one of many stories last week that cast a glimmer of hope on new drug treatment to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, which affects as many as 5 million Americans."

"The New York Times reported that Biogen’s aducanumab or BIIB037, is “designed to get rid of amyloid plaque in the brain, which is widely believed to be a cause of the dementia characteristic of the disease.” Really, “Widely believed?” That’s a nose-stretcher for sure unless maybe I’ve been asleep for the last 20 years. I thought the amyloid hypothesis was soundly discredited, a perennial and embarrassing, non-starter relegated to the graveyard of potential Alzheimer’s cures. "

" “I’ve seen this stuff for 25 years and they should stop misinforming people about amyloid plaque,” she said, adding, “We don’t know if amyloid plaque is a precursor or an after-effect of the disease. Testing to get rid of it hasn’t worked for decades—so we’re beating a dead horse. We need more basic science.” That viewpoint is also reflected in a Forbes Magazine article from 2012 around the failure of another amyloid-attacking drug. It said that by the end of 2012 “we will have data from six major Phase III trials without even a shred of support for the amyloid hypothesis.” Saying that these facts are “hard to ignore,” the commentatory goes on to say that “amyloid optimism has required dismissing or minimizing the lessons of history.”"

Article at:
http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2015/03/journalists-fire-another-silver-bullet-at-alzheimers/