U.S.-based biotechnology company Biogen and its Japanese partner Eisai announced Thursday their Phase 3 Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials ENGAGE and EMERGE will be discontinued.
At the Penn Memory Center (PMC), there were seventeen people participating in the Biogen Study. The participants and their study partners have been contacted regarding next steps.
The Biogen Study was a global effort testing the experimental drug aducanumab among older individuals with early Alzheimer’s disease, including mild cognitive impairment. Aducanumab is a human antibody that recognizes some forms of beta-amyloid, one of two Alzheimer’s-linked proteins.
Safety concerns are not the reason the studies were halted. Rather, an analysis by an independent data committee revealed the studies would be unlikely to meet their objectives upon completion. The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of the drug in slowing cognitive and functional impairment. The analysis revealed the drug is unlikely to benefit patients.
PMC Co-Director David Wolk, MD, said the result is disappointing, but adds “there are numerous medicines in various levels of development in the pipeline.”
“These drugs represent a variety of new approaches based on our dramatically expanding understanding of the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease. As such, we remain hopeful for progress in the near future,” Dr. Wolk said in an article on the PMC website.
Phillip Gutis, a participant in the Biogen study at PMC, reflected on his 25-month experience in the trial in a New York Times column published Friday: “I too am deeply disappointed but overwhelmingly grateful to Biogen and all the other companies and scientists who are working feverishly to find a treatment — or cure — for Alzheimer’s.”
“My basic message today and for as long as I can communicate: We cannot give up,” Gutis added.
For more details about the background of aducanumab and findings from the earlier phases of the research, visit Alzforum.
Shop Lilly Pulitzer, Support PMC
Join the Penn Memory Center on Sunday, March 31, to shop Lilly Pulitzer’s new spring collection.
Between noon and 6 p.m., “sweets and sips” will be served alongside information about the Penn Memory Center and our research and social work programs. Ten percent of proceeds will be donated to the Penn Memory Center.
Lilly Pulitzer is located in Suburban Square, 25 Coulter Avenue, in Ardmore.
Now Enrolling: ‘Time Out’ Program
Time Out, an award-winning mentorship and respite care program, is recruiting students and families. Private respite care often costs more than $20 an hour, but Time Out care providers will be available for $8.50 an hour for up to 10 hours per week. For more information about the program and services provided, click here.
Families who would like to register or learn more should contact Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, at alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-360-0257.
College students who would like to register or learn more should contact Roynell Sanders at timeout@temple.edu and register for an information session at http://tinyurl.com/timeout2019
Upcoming Events
Memory in Motion is a free dance class tailored to meet the challenges of people living with dementia and their caregivers. The class incorporates simple, adaptive movements set to musical favorites from the ’40s to present day in an open and accepting environment. The class is held every Monday between March 11 and April 22 from 11:00-11:45 at BalletX, 1923 Washington Ave. To RSVP, contact Felicia Greenfield at felicia.greenfield@uphs.upenn.
Dance for Health, a free weekly dance class for older adults, has returned to the Ralston Center. It’s held every Saturday between March 16 and May 11 (excluding April 20) at 3615 Chestnut Street. The program is open to all adults 55 or older. To RSVP, contact Terrence Casey at tjcasey@upenn.eduor 215-898-9979.
Creative Expression Through Music, a collaboration between PMC and the Curtis Institute of Music, is a new, free program for PMC patients experiencing memory change or those with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia. It’s intended to provide participants with a greater understanding of music, fun new tools for interacting through sound, and creative musical experience that flex their imaginations. Beginners are welcome. Session One will engage participants in collaborative, creative musical experiences and will assess their impact on participants’ mood and well-being. Session Two will focus on creating new music and building the skills and activities of Session One. Registration for Session One is now closed, but Session Two is still enrolling.
Session Two will meet from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30. All sessions are held at The Curtis Institute of Music in Lenfest Hall, Room LH314. If you’d like to register or have questions, contact Matthew Volpe at matthew.volpe@uphs.upenn.edu.
Join Bridges to Wealth for a Financial Empowerment Series. Learn how to repair credit, reduce debt, and build wealth! The series consists of two classes on March 19 and 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Both classes will be held at Lucien Blackwell Library, 125 S 52nd St., Philadelphia. The classes are free and open to the public. Lunch will be served.
The next Memory Café will be held on Friday, March 29, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Christ Church Neighborhood House in Old City. There will be a special tasting event with members of Penn Appétit, the University of Pennsylvania’s student-run magazine covering all things food. Memory Café is exclusively for people with memory problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, and their partners/families. The program is free. Please RSVP to Alison Lynn at 215-360-0257 or alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu. All 2019 dates are posted here.
Moment to Moment is a new, short film about love and resilience in the face of disease. It features Carl Duzen and Susan Jewett, who have been actively involved with PMC for more than five years. Duzen, a former physics teacher, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 by PMC Co-Director David Wolk, MD. His wife, Jewett, is an artist and former art teacher. The film will premiere at 5:00 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.) on Thursday, April 25 at the Jordan Medical Education Center, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia. Tickets are free, but RSVP is required.
Sincerely,
The PMC Communications Team
Terrence Casey, Joyce Lee, Janissa Delzo, Linnea Langkammer, and Sharnita Midgett