[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Myriad's Alzheimer's drug wasn't effective for patients with moderate forms of the disease, so the company is targeting patients who have just been diagnosed. Scientists are also using the latest in brain imaging and genetic technology to develop tests to find people like Williams who have above-average chances of coming down the disease.

In the long run that's certainly where you want to have been working - to prevent or at least delay the onset of the serious stages of the disease.

At least two other companies [Neurochem Inc. and Elan Pharmaceuticals] are hot on Myriad's tail . . . "If everything goes well, we could have approval in 2008," said Neurochem spokeswoman Lise Hebert. Myriad hopes to have approval in 2008 as well.

"I want somebody to win this," said Dr. Bill Thies, scientific director of the nonprofit Alzheimer's Association. "I don't particularly care if it's Myriad or one of its competitors."

My own mother died of it a couple of years ago. We need someone to succeed in this. Even if it means that an "evil pharmaceutical" makes a lot of profit. </sarcasm>

Don't talk to me about how expensive a drug is; Alzheimer's Disease shows you what happens when the cost is infinite - when you can't get an effective medicine at any price.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Alzheimer's is a considerable drain on the health care system because of the round-the-clock care the millions of patients require. Some estimates of the disease's cost rise to $100 billion annually when caretaker costs and time are considered.

The need for round-the-clock care didn't materialize in my mother's case.

I thought it was arising, when she began to lose the distinction between day and night and be awake a lot in the night. But the psychiatrist prescribed an upper - Provigil - to be given in the morning, and that provided a chemical reinforcement of the day/night distinction.

It seemed to have a general beneficial effect in her case, too. I bought a companion wheel chair at that time because it seemed that she was getting weak enough that I was about to need it for her - but when she started taking Provigil she not only kept the day/night distinction but also did not develop the weakness further and was able to continue to get around with the walker.

[neverdem]

Studies Find B Vitamins Don't Prevent Heart Attacks

A Cancer Drug's Big Price Rise Disturbs Doctors and Patients

Prescription drug prices vary widely between pharmacies

Indian nuclear data on thorium unique, valuable: IAEA-CRP

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[MRMEAN]

I was hoping that as a beneficial side-effect of my taking NSAIDS for pain would be t hat my risk of Alzheimer's disease would be reduced, but perhaps I should switch to the "weed," which has does not have the risks of bleeding, cardiac problems, and death that the NSAIDS I take have.

Marijuana may block Alzheimer's The compound may protect the brain The active ingredient in marijuana may stall decline from Alzheimer's disease, research suggests.

New Cl inical trial finds that two non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) do not slow the rate of cognitive decline in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). The multicenter study, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and reported in the June 4, 2003, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), is the first clinical trial to prospectively test rofecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, and naproxen, a non-selective NSAID, in people with AD.