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Semagacestat for Treating Alzheimers May Not be Safe?
– Reported, July 30 2013
(Ivanhoe Newswire) Alzheimers disease is characterized by the existence of cortical amyloid-beta protein plaques, which result from the sequential action of ß-secretase and ?-secretase on amyloid precursor protein. In a recent study, researchers examined the effectiveness of semagacestat (a small-molecule ?-secretase inhibitor) that was developed as a potential treatment for Alzheimers disease.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 1,537 patients with probable Alzheimers disease. They were split into three groups to either receive 100 mg of semagacestat, 140 mg of semagacestat, or placebo daily. Researchers discovered that semagacestat did not improve cognitive status, and the functional ability of the patients who received the higher dose got worse. It was also associated with more adverse events, including infections and skin cancer.
For more information, go to: http://www.nejm.org/
SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine, July 2013