Hello everyone, I was just wondering if any of your LO's are participating in the vaccine trial by Elan. The drug name is bapineuzumab and our doctor has told us that he would like to put my husband in this trial later this spring when it should be approved by our Canadian Government. My big concern is that this is another 18 months study and if he happens to be unlucky and get the placebo we will have gained nothing. We have to go with it since there appears to be nothing else. It is all very scary.
My husband is in a trial for the Merck vaccine, which is in Stage 2 at present. It does not have a cool name like bapineuzumab (bap for short, I guess, or I'm likely to revert to something familiar like Beelzebub.) Sometimes names are different in Canada from what a drug is called in the U.S. though. I do know, however, that both the Merck and Wyeth vaccines, currently being tested at our site, are designed to stimulate the immune system to break down amyloid, as in plaques.
I would be curious to know whether Elan's drug is designed with a similar function in mind, or something else.
He will get his 2nd dose next month. I'm in this with the attitude that we're contributing to the bulk of knowledge, hence to an eventual cure or preventative therapy. I do not have any real sense of hope that our participation is going to change our prospects substantially.
The best part is, we're forced to drive into Washington D.C. regularly, and therefore have lots of nice options for where to eat lunch.
Never heard of the "bap" vaccine, but we're willing to try anything. Next neurology apt. is in April.
Our neurologist is involved in research and trials for most of the drugs - he wants Sid to get into one ASAP.
I know 18 months is a long time to be on a placebo, but if the drug works for those who are getting it, the trial participants are the first to get it after the 18 months are up. Before it goes to the general public.
Joan and Emily, if you google the drug with the weird name of bapineuzumab and go to www.alz.forum.org you can get a good description of this trial. There are also other sites. Ours would be phase lll and will hopefully start in the spring. I'm concerned about the decline in the meantime. Our doctor has put the Reminyl dosage up to the maximum of 32 mg in an effort to minimize it.
Hi All...new member and thrilled to find a spouse site.
We are also being recruited for the Elan study. (Bapineuzumab) From what I have researched it is supposed to stop process and possibly reverse the disease. Also concerned re placebo. In this phase III trial, one out of four will receive the placebo. So odds are greater to be on the drug.
Inge, thanks for that Google idea. I did, and now I realize that the Elan drug and the Wyeth drug are one and the same. Initially the Wyeth study is the one we were trying to get Jeff enrolled in, but he was excluded from it because his latest MRI showed that he had had a couple of brain microbleeds, and in the mouse studies there was a higher probability that animals with microbleeds were vulnerable to more since, as the drug caused amyloid in tiny capillaries to break down, the capillary walls could rupture. This problem had not been observed in humans, but it was a precaution for which they would exclude participants.
So, he is in a trial for the Merck vaccine, V950, which I understand is meant to have a similar action, but it's still in the safety and tolerance phase right now.