Alzheimer’s vaccine clears Phase I

In a Phase I clinical trial, the active immunotherapy against Alzheimer’s disease not only proved its safety and tolerability, it also produced an immune response in almost all patients. Spanish Araclon Biotech, majority-owned by Barcelona-based healthcare company Grifols, presented the results at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC 2016), held in Toronto.

The compound ABvac40 acts against amyloid beta protein 40 using the C-terminal part of the peptide and is designed to combat Alzheimer’s disease at its initial stage. In the Phase I trial, in which a total of 24 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease participated, the researchers found no significant differences with respect to adverse effects between participants in the group that received ABvac40 and those in the placebo group. While Araclon points out that Phase I trials do not assess the effectiveness of a compound, the Zaragoza-based company said that “ABvac40 produced an immune response in more than 87% of patients who received the active principle during the clinical trial”. Accordingly, Araclon will take the drug into Phase II. 

The company remains guardedly optimistic: “The results are very promising, although we still have a long way to go,” commented Manuel Sarasa, Scientific Director of Araclon Biotech. “We are still at a preliminary stage, and we must be cautious when evaluating the potential success of this project.”

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