Memory Enhancer Succeeds in Phase II Alzheimer's Trial

A first-in-class oral compound targeting N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors proved beneficial in a mid-stage clinical trial in Alzheimer's disease, setting the groundwork for a full safety and efficacy study, a researcher said here.

SAGE-718, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of NMDA receptor activity, improved mean scores on five standard memory tests in 26 Alzheimer's patients with mild cognitive deficits, reported Aaron Koenig, MD, of drugmaker Sage Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Sage is developing the agent for several types of cognitive deficits, including those related to Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as Alzheimer's. A placebo-controlled phase II study is now underway in patients with Huntington's disease, and Sage said it plans to open similar trials for other indications this year.
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Interesting that the drug is considered potentially useful for Huntington's and Parkinson's as well. Drugs that are supposed to fix lots of things sometimes are mostly marketing hype. Perhaps in this case, the mechanism for improving cognitive performance actually is the same? I don't know. Maybe it's early days for this particular drug.
 
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