Oligosaccharide Trial Sees Improvement in Alzheimer’s

the Neurology Advisor take:

Oligosaccharide binds better to amyloid-β than monoclonal antibodies, and enhanced clearance of the protein from the brain, improving cognition in Alzheimer's disease, according to Chinese researchers.

The study, which was presented at the 7^th Clinical Trials Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, tested the safety and efficacy of oligomannurarate (GV-971, Shanghai Greenvalley Pharmaceutical Company) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Monoclonal antibodies have previously been used to bind sites of amyloid-β, but no efforts have been able to change the disease course.

Oligomannurarate targets multiple sites of amyloid-β, and so the researchers, including Shifu Xiao, MD, PhD, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China, and colleagues, hypothesized that it would inhibit amyloid-β aggregation and have lower neurotoxicity.

Men and women aged 50 to 85 years with confirmed Alzheimer’s disease and Mini-Mental State examination scores of 10 to 24 were given either 600 mg/day or 900 mg/day of oligomannurarate or placebo for six months. At 24 weeks, the 900 mg/day group showed a trend towards improved cognitive scores.

Upon evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid of patients receiving the 600 mg/day or 900 mg/day doses at 24 weeks, the 900 mg/day group had increased levels of amyloid-β1-42, suggesting a clearance of amyloid from the brain into the cerebrospinal fluid.

Overall, the treatment was safe and well tolerated, and the researchers plan to now continue with the 900 mg/day dose in a phase III trial.