Teva can't yet sell Alzheimer's generic (Aricept)

My mother takes Aricept at a cost of about $160 a month. A generic versions of Aricept is sure to benefit millions and dramatically cut the cost of health care.

We use to pay over $100 a month for Zocor. The generic now runs $10 a month (since July 2007).

clipped from www.businessweek.com Drug developer Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said Friday a U.S. District Court ordered Teva to tentatively refrain from selling a generic version of Eisai Co.'s Alzheimer's treatment Aricept. The tentative injunction by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey was requested by Japan's Eisai as part of an ongoing lawsuit with Teva. Teva has already gained tentative Food and and Drug Administration approval for the generic drug and could receive final approval April 26, when the mandatory stay of approval under the patent lawsuit expires. A trial date has not yet been set.

How is Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosed?

clipped from www.nia.nih.gov Today, the only definite way to diagnose AD is to find out whether there are plaques and tangles in brain tissue. At specialized centers, doctors can diagnose AD correctly up to 90 percent of the time. Doctors use several tools to diagnose "probable" AD, including: questions about the person's general health, past medical problems, and ability to carry out daily activities; tests to measure memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language; medical tests - such as tests of blood, urine, or spinal fluid; and brain scans. Why is early diagnosis important? An early, accurate diagnosis of AD helps patients and their families plan for the future. It gives them time to discuss care options while the patient can still take part in making decisions. Early diagnosis also offers the best chance to treat the symptoms of the disease. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person.

Free Online Publications Alzheimer's and Caregiving

clipped from www.niapublications.org Acute Hospitalization and Alzheimer's Disease Online Version Only AD: A Caregiver and Patient Resource List Online Version Only Caregiver Guide: Tips for AD Caregivers Online Version Only Caregiving Basics: A Resource List Online Version Only

National Institute on Aging Clinical Trials

clipped from www.nia.nih.gov The Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trials Database is a joint project of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) maintained by the NIA's Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center. Here you can search a database of clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and dementia currently in progress at sites throughout the U.S.: Search for Trials  Trials in the News  More Information: AD Clinical Trials: Questions & Answers To search further listings of clinical trials underway at the National Institutes of Health and other research institutions, go to Clinicaltrials.gov. For information about submitting a clinical trial to the ADEAR database, send an e-mail to: trials@alzheimers.org. To receive updates about new clinical trials, subscribe to e-mail alerts.

Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans

clipped from www.nia.nih.gov Study Finds Improved Cognitive Health among Older Americans Rates of cognitive impairment among older Americans are on the decline, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) comparing the cognitive health of older people in 1993 and 2002. Higher levels of education were associated with better cognitive health.

Runaway health care costs — we’re #1!

clipped from krugman.blogs.nytimes.com The latest Trustees’ reports from Social Security and Medicare show, once again, that there is no such thing as Socialsecuritymedicareandmedicaid. Social Security, the subject of thousands of demands that we get “serious” and cut benefits, is doing relatively well. The real problem lies in health care costs. I am, of course, a big proponent of health care reform. But is there any reason to think that reform would curb the growth of costs? Well, I was browsing some of the charts at CMS, and thought I’d share some information from Chart 2.1. This table shows health care spending as a percentage of GDP in some major countries, 35 years ago and recently: Everybody knows that the US spends much more on health care than anyone else What I didn’t realize was just how clearly the evidence shows that the rising trend is steepest in the US. We have the biggest increase as well as the highest level. We’re #1!

Early Research Suggests Umbilical Cord Blood Cell Therapy May Reduce Progression Of Alzheimer's Disease

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com Stems cells derived from umbilical cord blood are showing early potential in fighting Alzheimer's disease, according to results from a new preclinical study published in the March issue of Stem Cells and Development conducted by researchers from the University of South Florida and Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc ound that targeted immune suppression using stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood reduced Alzheimer's disease progression in a mouse model The ongoing research project has been funded in part by Cryo-Cell International, Inc., an industry leader in stem cell innovation and one of the nation's largest and most established family cord blood banks. Additional study sponsors are the National Institutes of Health's STTR grant program, Florida High Tech Corridor Matching grant program, and the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute."