Pfizer : Diagnosis of Alzheimer's and What You Need to Know as a Caregiver

One in eight people over 65 have Alzheimer's disease, and many more have personal experience as a family member or caregiver to someone with the disease. On The Doctors, Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall and Dr. Travis Stork discuss signs of dementia and key steps to take if you suspect someone in your life may have Alzheimer's disease. [PfizerNews on YouTube]

Medivation and Pfizer : Results from Phase 3 Concert Trial of Dimebon in Alzheimer's Disease

January 17, 2012 - Dimebon Did Not Meet Primary Efficacy Endpoints - Medivation, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDVN) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced results from the CONCERT trial, which is a Phase 3 trial that evaluated dimebon (latrepirdine) when added to ongoing treatment with donepezil HCL tablets in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Dimebon did not achieve statistically significant results for either of the two co-primary endpoints, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale — cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), which measures cognitive ability, or the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study — Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL), which measures self care and daily function.

"We are disappointed in the CONCERT results and the implications for Alzheimer's disease patients and their caregivers," said David Hung, M.D., president and CEO of Medivation. "I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the patients, their physicians and study teams involved in this trial."

Dimebon was generally well tolerated in the study. A full analysis of the results from CONCERT will be conducted and submitted for presentation at an upcoming scientific congress.

Medivation and Pfizer will discontinue development of dimebon for all indications and will terminate the ongoing open label extension study in Alzheimer's disease. The companies also announce that they will terminate their collaboration to co-develop and market dimebon pursuant to the terms of their Collaboration Agreement... Medivation's Press Release - Pfizer's Press Release -

Metabolon : Biochemical Understanding of Alzheimers Disease

October 13, 2010 — Metabolon, Inc., leaders in global metabolomics, biomarker discovery and biochemical analysis, announces the publication of “Ablation of the Locus Coeruleus (LC) Increases Oxidative Stress in Tg-2576 Transgenic But Not Wild-type Mice” in the International Journal of Alzheimer Disease. The paper examines the role of the LC on markers of oxidative stress in transgenic mice and was carried out as a collaboration among scientists at Pfizer, Proteostasis Therapeutics, the University of Dundee, Duke University and Metabolon. The paper is co-authored by Orest Hurko, Kurt Boudonck, Cathleen Gonzalez, J. Steve Jacobsen, Peter H. Reinhart, Crowther Daniel, Zoe A. Hughes.

Previous research in this area suggested that differences in inflammatory response observed in humans with Alzheimer disease and mouse models reflect a discrepancy in the state of the LC, the major site of norepinephrine synthesis in the brain. LC degeneration is an early change in human Alzheimer disease, but it is preserved in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer disease... Metabolon's Press Release -

Pfizer and Medivation : Global Agreement to Co-Develop and Market Dimebon for the Treatment of Alzheimer's and Huntington's Diseases

Sep 03, 2008 - Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) and Medivation, Inc.(NASDAQ: MDVN) announced that they have entered into an agreement to develop and commercialize Dimebon, Medivation's investigational drug for treatment of Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. Dimebon currently is being evaluated in an international, confirmatory Phase III trial in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.
Under the terms of the agreement, Medivation will receive an up-front cash payment of $225 million. Medivation also is eligible to receive payments of up to $500 million upon the attainment of development and regulatory milestones plus additional undisclosed commercial milestone payments. Medivation and Pfizer will collaborate on the Phase III program in Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease development and regulatory filings in the United States. The companies will share all U.S. development and commercialization expenses along with U.S. profits/losses on a 60 percent/40 percent basis, with Pfizer assuming the larger share of both expenses and profit/losses. In addition, Medivation will co-promote Dimebon to specialty physicians in the U.S...


... Alzheimer's disease leads to the death of brain cells and the loss of nerve connections in areas of the brain that govern memory, thinking and behavior. Alzheimer's disease gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry-out daily activities. No currently marketed Alzheimer's disease drug appears to stop brain cell death and prevent or restore lost nerve connections.
Dimebon is an orally-available, small molecule that has been shown to inhibit brain cell death in preclinical models relevant to Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, making it a potential treatment for these and other neurodegenerative conditions. Based on preclinical data generated to date, Dimebon appears to improve the function of mitochondria, the energy generators in cells that play a vital role in governing brain cell health, growth and overall function. Dimebon also has been shown to stimulate the outgrowth of nerves from brain cells, or neurites, a process that is believed to play an important role in restoring or generating new brain cell connections... Medivation's Press Release - Pfizer's Press Release -

Pfizer : Alzheimer’s Research and Pipeline at Upcoming Alzheimer’s Disease Medical Meeting

July 14, 2008 - Pfizer, Inc announced that it will present nine abstracts from its Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research and development program, including three on the two promising investigational therapies in the early stages of development, at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD) in Chicago, July 26-31...

...Data from Pfizer to be presented at the meeting include:

Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) Antagonist:

Pfizer is in collaboration with TransTech Pharma to develop and commercialize a portfolio of RAGE modulators. RAGE is a cell-surface receptor that may play a key role in multiple aspects of AD. Targeting RAGE for Alzheimer's is a novel approach and Pfizer is pioneering this approach in the clinic.

- Initial Phase II data on the safety and tolerability of Pfizer's oral RAGE antagonist known as PF-04494700...

- Preclinical data on the effect of PF-04494700 on chronic inflammation and buildup of amyloid plaques - two abnormal processes that are implicated in causing damage and death to brain cells in AD...

Humanized Anti-Amyloid Monoclonal Antibody: Preclinical data on the effect of PF-04360365, Pfizer's investigational monoclonal antibody in Phase 1 trials, on beta amyloid levels in the brains of mice...

Additional Preclinical Research: Pfizer will also present data on a potential blood biomarker that could help in identifying patients with AD; two studies on the role of the brain’s immune system in the formation of amyloid plaques; a potential method of using novel imaging and microscopic analysis to quantify AD neuropathology, and early research on an additional investigational Pfizer compound on the inhibition of an enzyme in the brain... Pfizer's Press Release -