BIOSTREET

Astellas, CoMentis Sign $760M Alzheimer's Deal; Awaiting Wyeth's Results

It's not about the plaques, which are endgame in this disease, it is about the toxic building blocks of plaques, Abeta oligomers, that impair neurotransmission. Beta-secretase inhibtors should lower Abeta oligomer levels. The caveat is that the beta-secretase enzyme also cleaves other substrates and one would not want to interfere with these normal and vital processes. Thus, the safety of this drug is not guaranteed, by a long shot. Agents that block Abeta from forming toxic oligomers, e.g. Prana Biotechnology's PBT2, are more attractive in this regard. Another viable alternative are gamma-secretase modulators, e.g. Eisai's E2012, that do not block normal enzyme function. Time will tell...

Wyeth's Alzheimer's Vaccine Could Become World's #1 Drug - Barron's

PRANA'S (PRAN) DRUG, PBT2, DOES NOT REDUCE BODY METALS. IT ATTRACTS COPPER AND ZINC AWAY FROM THE TOXIC ABETA PROTEIN THAT CAUSES ALZHEIMER'S. IN DOING SO, THE DRUG NEUTRALIZES ABETA'S NEUROTOXICITY IN THE BRAIN. MEANWHILE, METAL LEVELS IN THE BODY ARE NOT AFFECTED--THIS IS NOT A CHELATOR. PRANA'S PHASE IIA CLINICAL TRIALS WERE VERY ENCOURAGING. AT THE END OF THE DAY, A DRUG THERAPY INVOLVING AN ORALLY ADMNISTERED PILL WILL BE MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE AND ECONOMICAL ON THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM THAN HAVING TO ROUTINELY INJECT EXPENSIVE PURIFIED ANTIBODIES INTO THE BLOOD STREAM, WHICH IS THE CASE WITH WYETH'S PASSIVE VACCINE THERAPY.