Baxter Alzheimer’s candidate shows promise

Baxter’s Gammagard has shown promise in treating Alzheimer’s disease, with patients showing better cognitive function and less brain enlargement than those given a placebo.

Baxter said it is enrolling patients in a phase III study of Gammagard (immune globulin [human]) and plans to begin a second phase III study to confirm the results in more patients.

Gammagard is already marketed as an intravenous therapy to treat numerous immune system disorders, and is based on antibodies derived from human plasma.

An 18 month trial of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease who received the intravenous medication in a phase II study averaged about 1.36 points higher than patients who initially received a placebo on a test of mental abilities.

On a second cognitive performance test, patients who received Gammagard declined by about 9.15 fewer points than placebo patients.

MRI analyses also showed patients treated with Gammagard saw a 6.7% decrease in annual ventricular enlargement in their brains, compared to a 12.3% rate in patients on a placebo. The data were presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Toronto.