Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
This Woman Was Expected To Get Alzheimer's At 50, But It Wasn't Until Three Decades Later She Showed Any Decline.
The New York Times: Why Didn’t She Get Alzheimer’s? The Answer Could Hold A Key To Fighting The Disease
The woman’s genetic profile showed she would develop Alzheimer’s by the time she turned 50. She, like thousands of her relatives, going back generations, was born with a gene mutation that causes people to begin having memory and thinking problems in their 40s and deteriorate rapidly toward death around age 60. But remarkably, she experienced no cognitive decline at all until her 70s, nearly three decades later than expected. (Belluck, 11/4)
Stat: She Was Destined To Get Early Alzheimer's, But Didn't
“This is an excellent and thought-provoking study,” said Dr. Michael Greicius of Stanford University School of Medicine, an expert in Alzheimer’s genetics who was not involved in the research. He emphasized, however, that because the patient’s combination of genes is “exceedingly uncommon and possibly unique,” the study — published in Nature Medicine — is “hypothesis-generating” but far from definitive. (Begley, 11/4)
Stat: Alzheimer's Drug Approved In China Delivers A Surprise But Also Questions
Chinese regulators have granted conditional approval to an Alzheimer’s drug that is derived from seaweed, potentially shaking up the field after years of clinical failures involving experimental therapies from major drug companies. The announcement over the weekend has been met with caution as well as an eagerness from clinicians and others to see full data from the drug maker, Shanghai Green Valley Pharmaceuticals. (Joseph, 11/4)
