Oct 12, 2004 – In our earlier report on Australian biopharmaceutical company Prana Biotechnology Ltd. and its drug for Alzheimer’s disease, we said the Company seems to be on to something. Today, the Company announced that its open label extension study of PBT-1 reinforces the earlier positive Phase II results. Prana said the drug was well tolerated by patients over a long period of time. Nine patients of the original 27 completed the additional 48 weeks of the study for a total of 84 weeks on PBT-1. The PBT-1 drug works by binding to zinc in the bloodstream, preventing the mineral’s association with proteins that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Early results estimate that PBT-1 slows the progression of Alzheimer’s by about half. Because the onset of the disease occurs some 10 years before any effects are shown, patients must be able to tolerate the drug for long periods of time.
