Alzheimer's 'vaccine' produces positive results

Thursday, 22 May 2003 12:00 AM

Swiss scientists have reported positive early results during medical trials of a possible vaccine against Alzheimer's disease.

However, they have stressed that it is not a cure for the disease, which affects one in 20 people over the age of 65 in this country.

The study was originally carried out on 300 patients with Alzheimer's who were given a vaccine that targets the beta-amyloid protein - a major hallmark of cognitive decline - in the brain of sufferers.

Patients given the vaccine did begin to produce antibodies against the protein.

But the study was dramatically reduced in size when several patients developed the potentially fatal brain inflammation meningoencephalitis.

Out of the remaining 30 trialists, 20 showed good signs of a slowdown in the progress of their disease after developing the antibodies.

Dr. Richard Harvey, director of research at the Alzheimer's Society, welcomed the research, noting that they were a "very exciting first glimpse" of the results of the trial.

However, he urged caution, noting that the 30 trialists represented just 10% f the original study.

The Alzheimer's Society's has insisted that despite safety problems with this initial version of the drug, vaccine or immune-based therapies still hold tremendous potential for delivering an effective treatment for the disease.

It is estimated that 700,000 people in the UK have dementia, more than half of whom suffer specifically from Alzheimer's disease.

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