ARE
ARE OLDER
ARE OLDER BUT THEY STARTED TO TREND YOUNGER AS THAT STUDY WENT ON.
WE NOW TURN TO PROMISING NEWS
TODAY ABOUT AN EXPERIMENTAL
ALZHEIMER'S DRUG THAT HAS
SLOWED THE EFFECTS OF THE
DISEASE.
NOW THE FINDINGS HAVE NOT YET
BEEN PUBLISHED BUT THIS WOULD
BE THE FIRST TIME THAT A
POSITIVE RESULT HAS BEEN FOUND
IN A PHASE TWO STUDY OF A DRUG
LIKE THIS.
OUR CNN REPORTER MARK KOBRICK
LOOKED INTO THIS STUDY TO MARK
THE DRUG FROM ELI LILLY WAS
TESTED ON HUNDREDS OF PATIENTS
OVER TWO YEARS.
THAT'S RIGHT.
SO THOSE PATIENTS THEY GOT ONE
INJECTION EVERY FOUR WEEKS OF A
DRUG CALLED DONANEMAB AND
THE SCIENTISTS SAY THAT IT
REDUCED THEIR RATE OF DECLINE A
DECLINE PERMANENTLY BY 32
PERCENT, WHICH IS REALLY
DRAMATIC ALMOST A THIRD OF THE
RATE OF THEIR DECLINE WAS
REDUCED.
SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
THE CHIEF SCIENTIST FOR
THE COMPANY ALSO SAYS THAT
THE DRUG ALSO ELIMINATED A LOT
OF THE PLAQUES IN THE BRAIN
THAT CAUSE ALZHEIMER'S AND IT
ELIMINATED THEM PERMANENTLY.
THEY DIDN'T COME BACK.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE HOLY
GRAIL FOR ALZHEIMER'S
RESEARCHERS.
IT'S VERY GOOD NEWS ABOUT THIS
DRUG AND ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT
THERE'S A COMPANY IN ST. LOUIS
CALLED C2N DIAGNOSTICS AND THEY
HAVE DEVELOPED AN EARLY BLOOD
TEST THAT CAN DETECT
ALZHEIMER'S IN THE BLOODSTREAM.
AND THIS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT
IMPORTANT AS WE MOVE FORWARD
TOWARDS A CURE THAT WE'RE ABLE
TO IDENTIFY THESE EARLY
ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS SO WE CAN
GET THEM INTO TREATMENT FOR A
DRUG THAT CONTINUES TO BE
THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE
OF DEATH IN OUR COUNTRY.
SO THIS DRUG
THIS
THIS DEVICE BRING TWO NUMBERS IN THE HUNDREDS OF DRUGS DEVICES
UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE FDA.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF RESEARCH
UNDERWAY.
THIS IS THE FDA'S CURRENT
PROJECT LIST.
THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED AND
TWELVE DRUGS AND DEVICES IN
THE FDA PHASE ONE TRIALS ONE
HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE IN
PHASE TWO TRIALS DONANEMAB.
NOW OF COURSE THIS NEW DRUG IS
ONE OF THOSE AND 70 TO HAVE
MADE IT TO PHASE THREE TRIALS.
THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION
ALSO SAYS THAT THIS IS PUSHING
FORWARD WITH GLOBAL RESEARCH.
THEY ARE CURRENTLY THE NUMBER
THREE FUNDER OF ALZHEIMER'S
RESEARCH BEHIND US AND CHINA.
THEY HAVE TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHT
MILLION DOLLARS CURRENTLY
INVESTED IN FIVE HUNDRED AND
NINETY PROJECTS IN THIRTY ONE
COUNTRIES.
SO THE BREADTH AND SCOPE
OF THIS RESEARCH IS DRAMATIC.
JIM HERLIHY, THE SENIOR
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND
COMMUNICATION WITH THE COLORADO
CHAPTER OF THE ALZHEIMER'S
ASSOCIATION SAYS RESEARCHERS
AROUND THE GLOBE ARE NOW RACING
TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS
DISEASE AND THAT THIS NEW BLOOD
TEST FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THESE
BLOOD TESTS ALL OF THEM THE NEW
THE NEW RESEARCH THAT THESE IS
BEING DEVELOPED AROUND THESE
NEW EARLY DISCOVERY BLOOD TESTS
WILL SAVE FAMILIES AND PATIENTS
AND FAMILIES TRILLIONS
OF DOLLARS AS THEY WAIT FOR A
CURE.
THERE'S AN ESTIMATE AND IF WE
CAN MOVE UP THE DIAGNOSIS
OF ALZHEIMER'S BY JUST FIVE
YEARS THAT WE WOULD SAVE ALMOST
A TRILLION DOLLARS OVER
THE LIFE SPAN OF THE PEOPLE
BEING CARED FOR.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, I MEAN
CERTAINLY A CURE IS
THE ULTIMATE GOAL.
BUT I THINK DIAGNOSING THIS
DISEASE EARLIER WILL BE A HUGE
BENEFIT BENEFIT FOR THE HEALTH
COMMUNITY AND FOR CAREGIVERS
AND THE PEOPLE LIVING WITH
THE DISEASE.
EARLY DIAGNOSIS IS A HUGE
BENEFIT.
IT GIVES PATIENTS MORE
OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF MEDICATIONS THAT ARE
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO SLOW
THE DISEASE.
IT PROVIDES MORE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR FAMILIES TO PLAN
FINANCIALLY FOR CARE AND IT
REDUCES EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS
AND OTHER EXPENSIVE CARE JUST
TO NAME A FEW OF THE ADVANTAGES
YOU CAN'T BELIEVE THE NUMBER
OF PEOPLE WHO CALL THE NEW
SENIOR SOURCE PROJECT OUR
HOTLINE TO SAY I JUST
DISCOVERED THAT MOM AND DAD ARE
IN REAL TROUBLE AND THAT'S
TYPICAL FOR A LOT OF FAMILIES
OFF OF FAMILY MEMBERS DISCOVER
FIRST MOM AND DAD ARE REALLY
EXPERIENCING A LOT
OF DIFFICULTY AND IT COMES AS A
COMPLETE SURPRISE AND AS YOU
GUYS KNOW, IT COULD BE LIFE
ALTERING FOR FAMILIES WHEN
CARING FOR AN ALZHEIMER'S
PATIENT.
MARK, THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE,
SO MANY FAMILIES IN THE THROES
OF ALZHEIMER'S AND THEY CAN
TELL BUT THERE ARE LITERALLY
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WALKING
AROUND RIGHT NOW WHO HAVE
ALZHEIMER'S AND DON'T EVEN KNOW
IT.
THAT'S RIGHT.
THEY SAY ALMOST HALF OF THE
ALZHEIMER'S POPULATION
UNDIAGNOSED.
SO WE HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AND
FIND THAT POPULATION IN ADVANCE
OF A YEAR AND ALSO TO SAVE THEM
A LOT OF MONEY AS THEY GO DOWN
THAT PATH.
AND THE NEWEST TEST BY THE WAY
,HAVE TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGES.
THEY ARE LESS INVASIVE, LESS
PAINFUL BECAUSE THE CURRENT
PROCESSES ARE NOT ARE NOT
PLEASANT AND A LOT LESS COSTLY
AND THEY COULD BE PART OF A
REGULAR PHYSICAL AND PROVIDE
ADVANCED NOTICE OF COGNITIVE
DECLINE FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO
ARE EXPERIENCING IT.
AND AT THE MOMENT, AS WE SAID,
THEY'RE NOT FDA APPROVED.
THEY'RE NOT COVERED BY
INSURANCE CERTAINLY MORE OF A
DIAGNOSTIC TOOL BUT APPROVAL IS
ON THE WAY AS WE STRUGGLE TO
FIND A CURE FOR THIS DISEASE.
A LITTLE PIECE OF GOOD NEWS IN
AN OCEAN OF A LOT OF BAD NEWS
AND OF COURSE TRYING TO SAVE
OUR HEALTH CARE , OUR HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM FROM BEING OVERRUN
BY ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS.
THAT'S THE END GOAL OF ALL THIS
RESEARCH AND LET'S HOPE THEY
GET IT DONE.
YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT NEWS
AND WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR