New Study of Investigational Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Enrolling Patients in Phoenix
SUN CITY, Ariz. (Aug. 13, 2009) – Banner Sun Health Research Institute today announced it has begun enrolling patients with Alzheimer’s disease in the CONCERT study, a new clinical trial that will test the efficacy of a unique investigational drug, dimebon (latrepirdine)*, in patients currently taking Aricept® (donepezil HCI tablets), the leading Alzheimer’s disease medication worldwide.
“Alzheimer’s is a complex disease and while current medications address symptoms for some patients, the disease often requires combination therapy to maximize clinical benefit,” said Marwan Sabbagh MD, chief medical/scientific officer at Banner Sun Health Research Institute. “CONCERT is an important study because dimebon is thought to work differently than current medications and this study will evaluate whether adding it to one of the most commonly used Alzheimer’s medications will provide more effective symptomatic treatment to patients.”
While a cure is still many years away, treatments that provide lasting effects, more complete symptomatic benefits or slow disease progression would be meaningful advances for patients and caregivers; for this reason there is an urgent need for patients to participate in clinical trials to help advance the understanding of how Alzheimer’s disease can be better treated.
According to estimates from the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s , a devastating disease that hinders a patient’s ability to remember, learn, perform daily activities and relate to others. As the baby boomer population ages, the incidence of Alzheimer’s is expected to increase dramatically.
For more information on eligibility and enrollment, patients and caregivers can call Banner Sun Health Research Institute at (623) 875-6500 or visit www.concertstudy.com.
About Banner Sun Health Research Institute
For 23 years, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, part of nonprofit Banner Health, has been a leader nationally and internationally in the effort to find answers to disorders of aging including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and arthritis. The institute, together with its Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium partners, has been designated by the National Institutes of Health as one of just 29 Alzheimer’s Disease Centers in the nation. The institute’s Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research takes laboratory discoveries to clinical trials that foster hope for new treatments. Banner Health is Arizona’s leading health care provider and second largest private employer. For more information, visit www.shri.org and www.bannerhealth.com.
Media Contact:
Brian Browne
Banner Sun Health Research Institute
(623) 875-6536
e-mail
