Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of phone calls, online meetings, and deadlines has predictably returned. Yes, it may be the thick of a hot summer, but the world, such as it is, keeps spinning. So time to give it a nudge in a manageable direction with a cup of stimulation. Our choice today is butter pecan. As always, we invite you to join us. Meanwhile, we have assembled for you the latest grab bag of tidbits to help you get started on your journey. We hope you have a smashing day and achieve all of your goals. And of course, do keep in touch. Your tips and insights are always appreciated. …
Alzheimer’s disease experts are revamping the way doctors diagnose patients with the progressive brain disorder — the most common type of dementia — by devising a seven-point rating scale based on cognitive and biological changes, Reuters reports. The proposed guidelines, unveiled by experts in a report issued at an Alzheimer’s Association conference in Amsterdam, embrace a numerical staging system assessing disease progression similar to the one used in cancer diagnoses. They also eliminate the use of terms like mild, moderate, and severe. The revamp — replacing guidelines issued in 2018 — was prompted by the increased availability of tests detecting key Alzheimer’s-related proteins.
Alzheimer’s patients who received a single dose of an experimental gene-silencing treatment from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals showed benefits for six months in a small study, The Boston Globe says. Alnylam reported in April that recipients of the medicine experienced reductions as high as 84% and 90% in two protein biomarkers that researchers say foreshadow the formation of amyloid, a sticky protein that builds up in plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Some scientists contend that build-up leads to cognitive impairment and memory loss. The updated results, which Alnylam released at an Alzheimer’s conference in Amsterdam, showed the medicine had durable effects.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is seeking additional information and documentary material related to Pfizer’s proposed acquisition of Seagen, Reuters notes, citing regulatory filings. Pfizer struck a $43 billion deal in March to acquire Seagen and its targeted cancer therapies, to counter the fall in Covid-related sales and generic competition for some top-selling drugs. The recent FTC move to block Amgen’s $27.8 billion deal to buy Horizon Therapeutics has made investors jittery around the Pfizer-Seagen deal as well, but Seagan continues to expect its merger with Pfizer will be completed in late 2023 or early 2024, according to the filing.