Walk to End Alzheimer’s #EndAlz

This past weekend, we participated in our second Walk to End Alzheimer’s, both as walkers and as volunteers. As many of you might know. while we are very “active activists” as we joke, this is one cause that is near and dear to my heart, personally.

If you have been touched by this disease, or know someone who has, please consider giving your time or a donation. This is the only of the top 10 causes of death in America that can not be slowed, cured, or prevented. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States, and more then 5 million people live with the disease in the USA alone. 16 million people identify as caregivers to someone with Alzheimer’s.

This is not a small problem we are facing.

The first walk we participated in was 1,000 people strong – we stepped forward together, raising funds and each others spirits. This walk more than doubled in size this year.  The association is confident that it will continue to grow.

While I don’t have the numbers for this past weekend, I can tell you that as we handed out shirts, everyone was happy to be there and share in each other’s lives, no matter what stage of the game we were in. It’s very much a community feeling, were you can ask questions, get answers, make connections, and friends.

It’s important to me to find Alzheimer’s first survivor. No one should have to live or die in this manner. Currently, more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. Our future is at risk unless we can find a way to change the course of this disease.

Together, we can end Alzheimer’s disease. Please make a donation to advance the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association.

end alzheimers

Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease!

When you participate in Walk, your fundraising dollars fuel our mission, and your participation in the event helps to change the level of Alzheimer’s awareness in your community. The Alzheimer’s Association provides free, easy-to-use tools and staff support to help participants reach their fundraising goal. While there is no fee to register, we encourage participants to fundraise in order to contribute to the cause and raise awareness.

Take the first step by finding a Walk near you or making a donation. Once you register, you will have access to a wide range of tools and support through your customized Participant Center. Join us and lead the way to Alzheimer’s first survivor. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s disease!

Exploring Innovative Residential Options for Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease

The Founder and Director of the Dementia Village in Weesp, Netherlands, Eloy van Hal, will provide an operational overview of the renowned facility created in 2009 as an alternative to traditional institutionalized care provided in nursing homes. This village, for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive impairments, groups residents with shared interests and backgrounds in family-like settings in carefully designed environments emphasizing open, outdoor spaces and amenities like parks, a restaurant, grocery store and auditorium. It’s a new twist on assisted living, enabling residents to stay active with trained staff helping to maintain their freedom and abilities. Following the presentation, a panel discussion will focus on how to bring these innovations to senior and dementia-related facilities in New York.

 

Who:  Welcome and Introductions:
Hon. Donna Corrado, New York City Commissioner, Department of Aging (DFTA)
Judith D. Grimaldi, Grimaldi & Yeung LLP

Featured Speaker:
Eloy van Hal, Founder and Senior Managing Consultant, De Hogeweyk, Weesp, the Netherlands.

Panelists:
Rosemary Bakker, MS, Certified Interior Designer, Gerontologist, Author; President, Age-Friendly Design, Inc.; Author of AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home
Maria Alvarez, Executive Director, NY State Wide Senior Action Council
Timothy McManus, Vice President, Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples (POP) Development Corporation
Kenza Sijelmassi, Project Manager, Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples (POP) Development Corporation

Moderators:
Judith D. Grimaldi, Grimaldi & Yeung LLP
Britt Burner, Burner Law Group PC

 

When: Monday, October 22, 2018, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

 

Where: New York City Bar Association, 42 W 44th Street, New York, NY

 

With Alzheimer’s treatment stalled, promising pipeline drugs and a shift in perception could be key

As World Alzheimer’s Day approaches (21 September) with the aim of raising global awareness and understanding of the issues faced by people affected by dementia it’s timely to reflect that no new drug for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been approved in the past 16 years, despite more than 400 clinical trials and billions of dollars being spent in an attempt to tackle the disease and address unmet needs, says GlobalData a leading data and analytics company.

According to GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Alzheimer’s Disease: Competitive Landscape to 2026’, the pipeline has been characterized by big failures, as AD drug development is considered to have one of the highest failure rates of all indications. The AD pipeline features 657 drugs across all stages of development, and out of these, only 3.2% of drugs are in late-stage development; which is dominated by small molecules and monoclonal antibodies. The report reveals that amyloid precursor protein (Aβ peptide and protein) and microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT) are the major targets being pursued by companies developing drugs against AD.

Alessio Brunello, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, commented, ‘‘The need for new disease modifying drugs (DMDs) is urgent as the current competitive landscape in AD offers medications that are aimed at treating only the symptoms of the disease. A few key drugmakers have already stopped their research into AD, and given the significant amount of R&D failures, pharma companies may be disincentivized from producing new drugs.

“The amyloid hypothesis has been the central theory for the pathogenesis of AD, but all Aβ-targeting drugs treating AD have ended in failure. In fact, recent studies indicated that one of the main factors concerning the development and progression of the disease could be tau and not beta amyloid. We may, in the future, see tailored therapies to include potentially both an anti-amyloid and an anti-tau approach being administered concurrently.”

Currently, treatments for AD consist only of symptomatic treatments, of which there are only five approved medications: three cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) (donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine), one N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) antagonist (memantine), and one combination therapy (memantine/donepezil). These leave a lot to be desired in terms of efficacy, routes of administration, and dosing frequencies.

The potential launch of promising monoclonal antibodies from Biogen (aducanumab) and Roche (gantenerumab and crenezumab) will boost the size of the Alzheimer’s market given their potential to halt or prevent disease progression. Most of the tau-targeting approaches that are currently in clinical trials are immunotherapies such as Axon neuroscience’s AADvac-1 and Eli Lilly’s LY3303560. Tau is more likely to be a better target than Aβ as the clinical stages of cognitive decline much better correlate with the number, density and distribution of tangles than does the Aβ burden.

Brunello concludes, ‘‘Monoclonal antibodies have shown more promise than anything in the pipeline and in the next 10 years, we’re going to have a good idea whether amyloid is really a meaningful player or not. The industry shifted a little to anti-tau therapies, showing that tau treatments represent a new direction with a possible combination approach if trials will provide positive results. In the absence of any proven disease-modifying therapy, if and when one will reach the market, the rewards in terms of profits for the developer would be huge.”