yesterday at the ucla infusion center i received #18 of my infusions of biogens aducanumab the drug that is given iv and is an antibody against the beta amyloid protein thought to cause alzheimers
it removes the amyloid plaques from the brain
it also removes any free floating beta amyloid in the brain
it also activates the garbage cells called microglia that clean up debris that accumulates
so
it works several ways which is different from the other alzheimers amyloid antibodies being studied
as i explained to the infusion nurse yesterday i chose this study to be in
i identified it when information about the drug was first published
i watched it carefully
i tried to get in one study called the a4 study using another experimental antibody called solanezumab
which was given in this study to those who dont have symptoms but have positive pet scans for beta amyloid the hallmark of alzheimers disease
these folks are called prealzheimers
so i didnt qualify
when i initially tried to get into the aducanumab study i was turned away
that didnt stop me from trying though
i even foregoed my last amyloid pet scan in the adni 2 study i was in for 5 years starting in 2010
since i knew that doing that scan if i tried to get accepted into the aducanumab study would disqualify me since there was a rule that if you had a recent scan you couldnt qualify
once they obtained all my records and prescreening info though they accepted me in the study especially since their amyloid pet scan was positive
so im either prealzheimers or i have mild cognitive impairment thats due to alzheimers disease
hopefully whatever i have this stuff will probably help in someway to slow the disease down
we should have results in a couple of years that will tell us if it does
so yesterday as i left
i realized that i have two more of these left to do
before i advance to the final stage in three months
thats when all of us who want to continue will all get the real drug for another 18+ months
none of us will be on the placebo
now
i dont know if i got the placebo or the real drug
i had a 67% chance of getting the real drug
i was willing to take those odds knowing that after these 18 months
that my chances of getting the real drug are 100%
man i wonder how im going to feel in 2 months when they flush that last one
ill be a happy guy for sure
i have now had 18 infusions into my vein on my left arm
the last 3 times they have had difficulty starting my iv in that arm
so they switched to the right arm this time
i was saving that arm for the round two that starts in october
but
i decided yesterday i dont really care where they put it as long as im getting the real stuff
heck i told them they could put it in my neck vein if they wanted
the biogen stock
biogen makes this drug
has shot up a few times recently
i think the financial world knows something about this drug
plus they have a another sister drug thats further behind in the research world in a phase 2 study that is also showing promise
so maybe
just maybe
all the effort my wife she and i are putting in may be worth it
heres hoping
the organicgreen doctor
No comments:
Post a Comment