-
From a sample of over 10,000
adults, 62% are worried that they may develop
Alzheimer's disease and 91% believe the solution to tackling
diseases lies in medical research[1]
-
79% are willing to take part in
medical research but three-quarters (75%) have no idea how to get
involved[1]
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This World Alzheimer's Month,
in association with Alzheimer's Disease International, Novartis,
Amgen and Banner Alzheimer's Institute are raising awareness about
how to get involved in Alzheimer's research
The digital
press release with multimedia content can be accessed
here:
Basel, September 17,
2018 - Novartis, Amgen and Banner
Alzheimer's Institute (BAI), in association with Alzheimer's
Disease International (ADI), today announced results from the
largest global survey to date investigating perceptions of
Alzheimer's disease. Findings show that most adults (62%) are
worried that they may develop Alzheimer's, while nearly the same
proportion believe it is likely a cure will be developed in their
lifetime (60%).[1] This World Alzheimer's Month, Novartis, Amgen,
BAI and ADI are raising awareness about how volunteers can take
part in clinical studies to benefit Alzheimer's research,
potentially themselves and future generations.
Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia, a
disease affecting 50 million people worldwide and this number is
expected to triple by 2050.[2] The survey of more than 10,000
people across 10 countries revealed that 91% believe the solution
to tackling diseases lies in medical research and 79% are willing
to participate.[1] However, three-quarters (75%) have no idea how
to get involved in medical research.[1] In addition, 78% of adults
are willing to get genetically tested to identify their potential
risk of developing Alzheimer's.[1]
"At present,
there is no cure and limited treatment options for Alzheimer's, but
this survey clearly shows that people are willing to participate in
research to help treat and to hopefully find a cure," said Paola
Barbarino, Chief Executive Officer at ADI. "We need to demystify
and remove awareness barriers to participation in medical research,
making all suitable candidates aware of how they can get
involved."
Worldwide, more than 400 clinical studies are
recruiting in Alzheimer's.[3] However, slow enrollment is a costly
and common obstacle that undermines medical research.[4] There is a
need for more people to volunteer to advance scientific
discovery.
"The results from this survey clearly demonstrate
the need to raise awareness about clinical studies globally," said
Pierre N. Tariot, MD, director of BAI and co-director of the
Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API). "Aside from funding, the
greatest challenge in finding a way to treat, slow, or prevent
Alzheimer's is the recruitment and retention of study participants.
Scientists are making great progress in the fight against this
disease, but an estimated 80% of studies fail to meet recruitment
goals on time, which delays critically important research."
September 2018 marks the 7th World
Alzheimer's Month and represents a chance for people to raise
awareness, fundraise and find out more about how they can
participate in research. In addition to the global survey results,
ADI will also launch their World Alzheimer Report 2018 entitled
The state of the art of dementia research: new
frontiers, which looks at the hopes and aspirations, the
barriers and enablers to improving dementia research globally. More
information on the report can be found here
www.alz.co.uk/worldreport2018.
"Novartis thanks all the participants who took
part in this important survey. We have served patients in
Neuroscience for over 70 years and believe that a focus on
prevention is vital to safeguard future generations," said John
Tsai, M.D., Global Head Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer
for Novartis. "This survey highlights that greater awareness and
support is needed. This is to ensure people have sufficient
knowledge about clinical research studies to make a well-informed
choice about getting involved, so that together we can reimagine
Alzheimer's care for the future."
Novartis, Amgen and BAI are sponsors of the API's
Generation Program, which is evaluating investigational treatments
to help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's. The Program is
enrolling volunteers aged 60-75 who are at higher risk of
developing Alzheimer's but do not currently have or show signs of
the disease. Information can be found at www.generationprogram.com.
Learning about increased genetic risk as part of a clinical study
can result in a unique emotional response; pre- and post-test
genetic counselling is often recommended to help manage these
responses and provide information on implications for the
individual and their family.[5]
Information about clinical trials is widely
available online and from local patient advocacy groups. Details of
Alzheimer's clinical studies can be found on the ADI website
www.alz.co.uk/clinical-trials/find and the Alzheimer's Prevention
Registry www.endALZnow.org/. Studies can also be found within the
ClinicalTrials.gov study database, https://clinicaltrials.gov,
under the search criteria 'Recruiting' and 'Alzheimer Disease'.
About the survey
The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of
Novartis, Amgen and Banner Alzheimer's Institute, among 10,095
adults 18+ living in Argentina, Canada, China, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US. The survey was conducted
between July 25 and August 21, 2018. Figures for age by
gender, income, education, race/ethnicity (Canada and US only),
region, size of household, marital status, and employment status
were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their
actual proportions in the population.
The Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) is an
international collaborative research effort formed to launch a new
era of Alzheimer's prevention research. Led by Banner Alzheimer's
Institute, the API conducts prevention trials in cognitively
healthy people at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
It will continue to establish the brain imaging; biological and
cognitive measurements needed to rapidly test promising prevention
therapies and provide registries to support enrollment in future
prevention trials. API is intended to provide the scientific means,
accelerated approval pathway with the cooperation of the regulatory
agencies and enrollment resources needed to evaluate the range of
promising Alzheimer's prevention therapies and find ones that work.
For more information, go to
www.alzheimerspreventioninitiative.com
About Amgen and
Novartis Neuroscience Collaboration
In August 2015, Novartis entered into a global collaboration with
Amgen to develop and commercialize pioneering treatments in the
field of migraine and Alzheimer's disease.
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified
by words such as "potential", "can", "will", "plan", "expect",
"anticipate", "look forward", "believe", "committed",
"investigational", "pipeline", "launch", "pioneering", or similar
terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential
marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the
investigational or approved products described in this press
release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products.
You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such
forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and
expectations regarding future events and are subject to significant
known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of
these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can
be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products
described in this press release will be submitted or approved for
sale or for any additional indications or labelling in any market,
or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such
products will be commercially successful in the future. In
particular, our expectations regarding such products could be
affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in
research and development, including clinical trial results and
additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions
or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward
health care cost containment, including government, payor and
general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to
obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection;
the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients;
general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or
manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data
privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology
systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's
current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange
Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press
release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements contained in this press
release as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's
lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative
science and digital technologies to create transformative
treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new
medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies
investing in research and development. Novartis products reach
nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways
to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125 000 people of
more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find
out more at www.novartis.com.
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References
[1] Data on file. August 2018.
[2] Dementia fact sheet December 2017; World Health Organization:
www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia. Accessed August
2018.
[3] ClinicalTrials.gov:
//clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?recrs=ab&cond=Alzheimer+Disease&term=&cntry=&
state=&city=&dist=. Accessed August 2018.
[4] Clin Transl Sci. 2015 Dec; 8(6):
647-654.
[5] Genetic Alliance; District of Columbia Department of
Health. Understanding Genetics: A District of Columbia Guide for
Patients and Health Professionals. Washington (DC): Genetic
Alliance; 2010 Feb 17. Chapter 4, Genetic Counselling.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK132139 August 2018.
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