Gammagard May Help Preserve Cognitive Abilities, Reduce Brain Shrinkage In Patients With Alzheimer's

Baxter and New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Announce 18-Month Data from Phase II Study of GAMMAGARD in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Click here to view the Press Release

The Chicago Tribune (4/13, Japsen) reports that, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology meeting, the immune-system medication Gammagard (immune globulin [intravenous]), "produced by Baxter International, Inc., helped preserve 'thinking' abilities and reduced the rate of brain shrinkage in a small group of patients with Alzheimer's disease who have been studied for 18 months." Click here to read entire Chicago Tribune article.

The 24-patient study suggested that the medicine is "among those treatments working well enough to warrant continued testing." Click here to read entire Chicago Tribune article.

"Brain scans from 14 patients taking Gammagard didn't show the excessive brain shrinkage that's a hallmark of mental decline in Alzheimer's," Bloomberg News (4/13, Randall) reports. Gammagard is "designed to reduce levels of amyloid plaque," and "also fights inflammation, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease." Click here to read entire Bloomberg News article.

By study end, according to Reuters (4/14, Kelly), patients having mild to moderate Alzheimer's scored higher in cognitive performance testing than those on placebo. Patients on Gammagard also experienced less decline in cognitive function than those in the placebo group. Click here to read entire Reuters article.