Rhode Island Hospital Recruiting for Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trial

Posted Monday, March 18, 2013

Study to help determine safety, efficacy of new drug designed to change course of the disease

Rhode Island Hospital is currently recruiting for a study to test the efficacy of a new medication for the treatment of moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led locally by Brian R. Ott, MD, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Rhode Island Hospital, is a multi-site trial with 120 sites around the world, including 48 in the U.S. and Canada.

This phase II randomized, double-blind study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new medication designed to inhibit an enzyme in the body. It is believed that inhibiting this enzyme could benefit those with Alzheimer’s. Presently, medications approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease may improve the cognitive symptoms, but do not change the course of the disease. This study may help researchers understand the possible benefits of add-on treatment with this new medication.

The researchers will measure behavioral symptoms, cognitive assessments and overall safety in all study participants over the course of 18 months.

To qualify, participants must be between the ages of 50 and 90, have a diagnosis of moderate Alzheimer’s, and must be currently taking the medication Aricept (donepezil, 5-10 mg) or Exelon patch (rivastigmine 4.6 or 9.5 mg).

“We are constantly searching for new and better ways to treat and ultimately prevent Alzheimer’s disease.” Ott said. “This study will help researchers all over the world determine if this new medication, used in conjunction with other medicines, can help slow progression of the disease.”

For more information on the study, or to find out if you qualify, please contact Kerstin Calia, 401-444-9861, kcalia@lifespan.org.

Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 20,000 people in Rhode Island, 5 million people in the U.S. and 35 million people worldwide. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

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