Studies Presented at International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease
Reveal Substantial Economic Costs and Caregiver Burden Associated with
Alzheimer’s Disease
Elan Corporation PLC
Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN)(ISE:ELA) and Wyeth (NYSE: WYE)
presented information this week at the Alzheimer Association 2009
International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) from seven
posters and one podium presentation about the growing burden of care and
costs associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and how to measure them.
This information sheds light on the impact of AD, which, as the
population ages, will place a significant and increasing burden on
patients, families, and caregivers, as well as public health systems
worldwide. The costs of Alzheimer’s disease are difficult to estimate,
highlighting the importance of the information presented.
“These analyses provide important information – in some cases for the
first time – about the associations between AD and the health and
wellbeing of patients, healthcare costs, and the burden on caregivers,”
said study investigator, Daniel Murman, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor
and Director, Memory Disorders and Behavior Neurology Program with the
Department of Neurological Sciences at the University of Nebraska
Medical Center. “This information shows that not only are AD
patients more likely than their peers to suffer from other serious
conditions, but their needed care takes a tremendous toll on their
caregivers. All of this means increased burden and financial costs to
individuals and the healthcare system.”
About the Poster Presentations
Poster #P3-221: Predicting Costs of Care for Unique Dependence Levels
in Patients with AD (Murman DL, et al.)
A new, longitudinal, non-interventional study of 133 Alzheimer’s disease
patients/caregiver pairs showed an exponential relationship between
total costs and AD dependence levels, with costs increasing
significantly with increasing dependence. In this study, dependence
level provided a useful method to estimate unique levels of care and
associated costs that can be used in pharmacoeconomic evaluations of new
treatments for AD patients in a transparent and meaningful manner.
Poster #P1-180: Relationship Between Patient Dependence and
Caregiver Burden in Alzheimer’s Disease (Lacey LA, et al.)
A new, longitudinal, non-interventional study that included 155
Alzheimer’s disease patients/caregiver pairs across the U.S. and Europe
assessed the relationship of AD patients’ dependence on caregiver
burden, connecting the impact of worsening AD severity on family members
or other caregivers. This is the first study exploring the relationship
between dependence and caregiver-reported burden via the Caregiver
Reaction Assessment, a tool that captures both negative and positive
reactions of giving care in an informal setting. Specifically, this
poster presented an interim analysis that found caregivers reported
experiencing increased disruption in daily schedules, greater lack of
family support, and more time devoted to being a caregiver as AD
patients’ dependence increased.
“Given these recent findings, it’s vital for continued research,
measurement, and documentation of the growing burden of care and cost of
Alzheimer’s disease to adequately provide support for caregivers and
assess patient healthcare needs,” said Dr. Dale P. Schenk, Executive
Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Elan. “Elan and Wyeth,
through the Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program (AIP), are committed to
advancing research in all aspects of the disease.”
Poster #P2-071: Increased Risk of Serious Comorbidities
in a Cohort of AD Patients Compared to a Similar Non-AD Cohort (Malone
D, et al.)
A retrospective data analysis showed that AD patients appear to have a
higher prevalence of certain serious conditions compared to patients
without AD. These analyses were comprised of an evaluation of claims
data for more than 33 million Americans from a managed care population
over the course of eight years. The study authors concluded that the
most notable serious conditions were decubitus ulcers (bed sores, 5-fold
higher), seizures (4-fold higher), hip fractures, (3-fold higher),
depression (3-fold higher), and pneumonia (2-fold higher).
According to Professor Roy Jones, Director, The Research
Institute for the Care of Older People, Bath, United Kingdom, these
conditions alone can add significant burden to patients and their loved
ones, but in combination with AD, they often translate into significant
financial cost, poor health outcomes, and higher risk of death. 'I
regularly see elderly patients who have multiple conditions that
increase the complexity of their care, but until now there have been
little data available to reflect the significance and increased
prevalence of other conditions in people with Alzheimer's disease,”
Professor Jones said.
Poster #P2-066: Web-Based Application to Estimate and Project the
Burden of Alzheimer’s Disease and Evaluate the Impact of Potential
Interventions (Colantuoni E, et al.)
More than 26 million people worldwide are estimated to have Alzheimer’s
disease; however, an updated model suggests that global AD prevalence
can be expected to increase to over 100 million by 2050. The Web-based
application presented in the poster allowed cost estimate calculations
on the future burden of AD. The tool was shown to generate projections
for a specified population and generate estimates of disease burden,
costs, and/or Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), along with the
impact of interventions that can reduce risk or slow progression.
Projecting the future burden of AD is important for researchers and
policy makers who are evaluating the potential impact of interventions
that may reduce disease risk or slow disease progression.
“This kind of work is important and we applaud the Alzheimer's
Immunotherapy Program (AIP) for supporting research to better understand
the burden of this disease and its impact on affected families,” said
Marc Wortman, Executive Director, Alzheimer's Disease International.
Editors Note: The following Elan and Wyeth abstracts were also
presented at ICAD:
-
Poster #P1-204: Estimating HRQOL for Unique Dependence Levels in
Patients with AD (Murman DL, et al.)
-
Poster #P3-113: Hip Fracture Risk and Subsequent Mortality among
Alzheimer’s Disease Patients in the United Kingdom, 1988-2007 (Baker
NL, et al.)
-
Poster #P1-212: Estimating Dependence Scale Scores Based on Clinical
Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes Scores in Patients with Mild Cognitive
Impairment or Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease (Cohen J, et al.)
-
Podium: Development of an Algorithm for Identifying AD Severity in
Administrative Claims Data (Mucha L, et al.)
About Alzheimer’s Disease
It is estimated that one in eight baby boomers will develop AD,
resulting in significant costs to society and individuals. Recent data
estimate the cost of dementia including AD at nearly $120 billion
annually in direct and indirect costs in Europe and $148 billion
in the U.S.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually
destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments,
communicate and carry out daily activities, such as bathing and eating.
As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, individuals may also experience
changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or
agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations.
About the Elan and Wyeth Collaboration
The Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program (AIP) is a collaboration between
Elan and Wyeth to research, develop, and commercialize immunotherapeutic
approaches that may be used to treat and possibly prevent the onset of
Alzheimer’s disease. The AIP is committed to researching the burden of
care and cost of AD as well as developing tools that help advance these
efforts. The AIP is also currently conducting clinical trial enrollment
throughout Europe and the United States for its lead investigative
compound bapineuzumab.
An extensive global Phase 3 clinical program was initiated in December
2007 for bapineuzumab as a potential treatment for patients with mild to
moderate Alzheimer’s disease. To learn more about this trial and
potential enrollment, patients or caregivers should contact clinical
sites directly. Participating clinical sites in North America can be
found by visiting www.icarastudy.com
or calling 1 (888) 818-MEMORY. For study information outside North
America, visit www.globalicarastudy.com.
Study site details also can be found on www.clinicaltrials.gov.
In addition, the AIP is continuing to conduct safety trials with
bapineuzumab subcutaneous and ACC-001.
About Elan
Elan Corporation, plc is a neuroscience-based biotechnology company
committed to making a difference in the lives of patients and their
families by dedicating itself to bringing innovations in science to fill
significant unmet medical needs that continue to exist around the world.
Elan shares trade on the New York, London and Dublin Stock Exchanges.
For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.elan.com.
About Wyeth
Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) is one of the world’s largest research-driven
pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the
discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals,
vaccines, biotechnology products, nutritionals and non-prescription
medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The
Company’s major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer
Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.
Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release regarding the Alzheimer's
Immunotherapy Program, including the clinical program for bapineuzumab,
are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such statements. In particular,
there can be no assurance that the clinical program for bapineuzumab
will be successful in demonstrating safety and/or efficacy, that we will
not encounter problems or delays in clinical development, or that
bapineuzumab will ever receive regulatory approval or be successfully
commercialized. Other risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by
these forward-looking statements include those detailed from time to
time in the companies’ periodic reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including Wyeth`s current reports on Form 8-K,
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K,
particularly the discussion under the caption 'Item 1A, Risk Factors' in
Wyeth’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008,
which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February
27, 2009, and Elan’s Reports of Foreign Issuer on Form 6-K and Annual
Report on Form 20-F, particularly the discussion under the caption “Item
3D, Risk Factors” in Elan’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year
ended December 31, 2008, which was filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on February 26, 2009 The forward-looking
statements in this press release are qualified by these risk factors.
The companies assume no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future developments or otherwise.
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INVESTOR CONTACTS:
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Elan
Chris Burns
Ph: 800-252-3526
David Marshall
Ph: 353-1-709-4444
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Wyeth
Justin Victoria
Ph: 973-660-5340
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
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Elan
Mary Stutts
Ph: 650-794-4403 or 650-823-5255
Miriam Mason
Ph: 650-238-7113 or 650-877-7616
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Wyeth
Douglas Petkus
Ph: 973-660-5218
Gwendolyn Fisher
Ph: 484-865-5160
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