Institute explores new treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Sun City, Arizona, 7/15/2003 -- Dedicated to the search for answers to Alzheimer's disease (AD) that includes effective new treatment options, the Sun Health Research Institute launches a new clinical trial to test a drug that may improve cognitive function and slow the progression of the disease. The Institute is currently one of only two sites in the U.S. conducting this trial, and is the only site west of the Mississippi.

The ALADDIN study is sponsored by Voyager Pharmaceutical Corporation, an emerging Raleigh, North Carolina biotechnology firm.

The ALADDIN study will evaluate the effectiveness of leuprolide as a treatment for AD. Leuprolide is an FDA-approved drug for treating hormone related conditions. Leuprolide reduces compounds in the body called gonadotropins, which are elevated among individuals with AD.

Scientific evidence indicates that increased levels of gonadotropins are associated with AD, according to Larry Sparks, Ph.D., Principal Investigator for the trial. Dr. Sparks is a senior scientist at the Institute. His pioneering work in AD research is well respected and has generated significant international as well as local interest.

Conducted in the Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research at the Institute, the one-year double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled study is seeking postmenopausal women, 65 years of age and older, with a diagnosis of probable AD (mild to moderate stages).

Unlike some clinical trials, this trial only has a minimal number of conditions limiting eligibility for participation. Special consideration has been given to concomitant conditions that commonly are associated with AD. Study participants can remain on their current medications, including cholesterol-lowering medications, or statins, as well as standard therapies for the treatment of AD. A total of 90 participants are needed.

Since two different doses of the study medication are being tested, most ALADDIN participants receive the active study medication, unlike most other treatment trials which only provide study medication to half of participants.

Nine visits to the Cleo Roberts Center are required within the one-year trial period.

"For those who have wanted to participate in an Alzheimer's clinical trial but who have been restricted because of medications they might be taking to treat other conditions, this clinical trial may very well be appropriate," Dr. Sparks says.

He adds that clinical trials such as ALADDIN are a vital link in the research chain and are necessary for testing the theories and discoveries that originate in test tubes and under microscopes, since humans are the only ones who develop AD. Participation is key to furthering the search for answers.

For more information about the ALADDIN clinical trial, call Sun HealthLine at (623) 876-5432. The world-renowned Sun Health Research Institute is making significant progress in the search for answers to age-related diseases that include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and prostate cancer.

Reprinted with permission from Sun Health.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Linda Tyler
Susan Bennett
(623) 815-7600

URL: ClinicalTrials.gov

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