• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Tests of Memory Drug Include Evaluation Here

Posted on: Monday, 15 November 2004, 03:00 CST

Sention Inc., a Providence, R.I.-based pharmaceutical development company, is testing an experimental drug at Sacred Heart Medical Center's Clinical Research Center and at other locations in the U.S.

The drug, called C105, is designed to prevent memory loss and improve the brain's ability to retain short-term memories.

About 90 people, including about six here, are participating in a threemonth national research study that will help determine the drug's effectiveness and safety. The study should end in December. The manufacturer and the researchers are hopeful the drug ultimately will be effective in treating patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, Sention CEO Randall Carpenter says, who was interviewed by phone. "We've had some breakthrough discoveries on the gating mechanism in the brain that allows memories to be stored," he says. "When you get older the brain becomes less efficient at making new memories. We're trying to improve that and return the brain to that of a younger person."

C105 hasn't been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but Carpenter says he expects Sention will have a memory drug on the market by 2007.

Carpenter declines to disclose the compounds in C105 or to detail how it works inside the brain. He claims the drug is safe because it uses molecular compounds that have been taken by millions of people in other drug forms for many years.

Dr. Charles Brondos, a Spokane neurologist, will be the principal investigator here. The local study hasn't started yet because the research clinic is recruiting applicants and evaluating them.

"Maybe Dad is over 55 and has some memory problems, but it's not to the point where he would go to a doctor about it. This could be a good candidate for the study," says Brian LaSalle, the clinic research coordinator at Sacred Heart.

Researchers are looking for people who have early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other symptoms of dementia, but have not been diagnosed yet. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and irreversible neurological disorder that ultimately results in death. Symptoms include gradual memory loss, disorientation, personality changes, and loss of language skills. There is no cure.

Some scientists believe that before Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed by a doctor, sufferers have mild cognitive impairment. A person with that subtle condition has more memory problems than normal for a person of his or her age, but doesn't show other symptoms of dementia such as impaired judgment or reasoning.

The Alzheimer's Association, of Chicago, estimates that about 4.5 million Americans have the disease, but the number of people who have mild cognitive impairment isn't known.

"Mild cognitive impairment is generally not recognized or accepted," says LaSalle. "But there is suspicion that it's a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. Right now it's overly optimistic to think the drug would halt the progression or reverse the disease process, but it can't be said for sure. That's why we're doing the study."

To participate in the study, individuals must be at least 55 years old and can't have suffered a stroke or had a previous injury to the brain such as a head trauma. They also must have a spouse or an adult child who can monitor them closely during the trial, LaSalle says.

Some of the possible side effects of C105 are headache, dry mouth, weight loss, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, increased blood pressure, and diarrhea.

Copyright Northwest Business Press Inc. Oct 14, 2004

Source: Journal of Business; Spokane

More News in this Category