The Latest on Etanercept Research
Even though I haven't written anything on the new research involving etanercept in a couple of weeks, I'm still receiving emails and comments about my blogs that described the research and followed up on details of the study.I recently heard from Edward Tobinick, MD, a primary investigator in the study. He was pleased with the accuracy of my blogs and provided some additional information about this new line of research, including a recent expert evaluation of the treatment and background information that establishes a theoretical and empirical basis for the study.
All of this information can be found on the website for Dr. Tobinick's private medical group, the Institute for Neurological Research. The site also includes contact information for more details about current or future treatment projects.
Please note that by providing this information, I am neither endorsing nor dismissing the activities of the Institute for Neurological Research. I am grateful to Dr. Tobinick for contacting me and sharing additional information, because this allows me to provide you - my readers - with updates about issues that I know mean a great deal to you.
Illustration of Neuron Affected by Alzheimer's © Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, a service of the National Institute on Aging
Comments
I’ve been googling for follow up studies from other researchers without success. Seems like something this powerful should be easy to replicate if true.
And if it were true I wonder what would happen if the etanercept were given via inhalation as an aerosol. Wouldn’t this circumvent the blood-brain barrier?
please let me know if you have an answer for inhaling etanercept.
my husband has severe dementia with horrible hallucinations.
THANKS!
Dear Carol,
Thanks so much for your comment in reference to Adam’s question about inhaling etanercept. I did ask Dr. Tobinick, the head of the latest etanercept study, about this method of administration, and he informed me that it is not feasible. Although etanercept is not FDA-approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, it is available as a patented, off-label treatment for Alzheimer’s disease at Dr. Tobinick’s clinic (see the link in this blog for the Institute for Neurological Research). I also encourage you to read about current FDA-approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease at http://alzheimers.about.com/od/treatmentofalzheimers/a/treatments.htm.
Thanks so much,
Carrie Hill, Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease
Dear Carrie,
I can understand the need for perispinal infusion in order to have immidiate response. What about long term improvement of Alzheimers with weekly Subcutaneous injections of etanercept. Has it been tried?
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for your comment. Reports describing the treatment indicate that in order to maintain the results (or in some cases, improve them), the person needs to keep receiving perispinal treatments at regular intervals (i.e., once a week). I don’t believe that other methods (subcutaneous, inhalation) have been found to be successful or deemed viable methods of administration.
Take good care,
Carrie
My mother has Alzheimer’s and recently went to Dr. Tobinick’s clinic. I would advise anyone seeking treatment there to be aware that the cost is $10,000 dollars. My poor father was railroaded, at the very least, into getting the injection the same day. I have spoken to Dr. Tobinick and find his “research skills” severely flawed. I am not disputing the fact that this treatment may work, but gauging desperate family members is absolutely unacceptable. I plan on filing a complaint with the California Medical Board immediately. Carrie, I would seriously reconsider posting this individual’s info on your blog. He has already been on probation with the California Medical Board for a similar infraction. Feel free to contact me if you want any further information on my experience with this unscrupulous “medical clinic.”
Christina,
Thank you so much for your message. I value your opinion and direct experience and will certainly consider this as I plan future coverage of etanercept treatment.
All the best,
Carrie
Dr Tobinick is a disgrace of the Medical society. He has no ties whatsoever with UCLA Alzheimer research center. He rents an office in the UCLA Medical Tower just like any other physician.
I actually met him and his staff. He has no empathy for the patient and his motivation is money. He has no shame in telling you that he can only treat those who can afford it.
He charges you a $450 to see him. Then if you want to be treated, you have to come back and pay him $5000 for screening, and $800 per injection every week for the rest of the patient’s life!
Now he advertise a “training program” for physicians in other States. But when you ask him to give you the names of those physicians he has trained to perform the treatment, you get a song and dance by his side kick named David and you never get the name of those other doctors.
Instead you will be told that you can bring your doctor to be trained which is going to cost you $10,000.00 if its a US physician and $15,000.00 if it is a foreign doctor.
These people are a joke!
Etanercept is not a miracle drug but it does have an anti inflammatory effect on the brain and can conceivably inhibit the TNF.
His use of the Etanercept is of course off label. So you are not really paying for the drug but for Dr Tobinick “new application”. Which after reviewing his protocol which has to be published and peer reviewed, is no more unique than the drug.
Etanercept is distributed by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Now ask yourself why Wyeth has not yet paid the fortune Dr Tobinick is still waiting them to offer to start a real clinical trial? And by the way, Dr Tobinick owns shares of Wyeth….
When Dr Tobinick tells you that he has the patent for the treatment, what he is not telling you is that by this process he is incapacitating Wyeth to run there own research without first paying him.
Its all about the money and very little about the patient.
Perispinal (around the spine) infusion can be performed by a good orthopedist doctor under imaging to make sure that you are not touching the spine or the cord.
As far as the product, your doctor can eventually figure out the right amount.
Dr Tobinick miracle cure is way over priced and his ethics are disgraceful!
If you want to know what is going on in the Alzheimer research world. Call the UCLA Alzheimer research department. You will have an update on all current clinical trials. Click the link below for the list.
http://www.searchclinicaltrials.org/fastsearch/search.asp?t=trlistxml&f=a&keyword=Alzheimers+&type=all&disease=&zip=90210&radius=25&state=California&provinces=&search.x=40&search.y=11
Laura—The rumors about Alzheimer’s researchers and the drug industry being in collusion and doing everything possible to keep Enbrel as an Alzheimer’s intervention from clinical trials have become less and less believable as time has passed. Your statement below makes a whole lot of sense to me.
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Dr. Tobinick “is incapacitating Wyeth to run there own research without first paying him. Its all about the money and very little about the patient.”
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I don’t know if Enbrel works…or…If the improvements (which appear mostly cosmetic to me) are valuable enough to warrant the expense of Enbrel injections. For those who would like to find out for themselves, I suggest that they do their homework (read the patent and “Journal of Neuroinflammation” article…both describe the injection procedure) and then find a medical professional willing to administer a 1 month trial and draw your own conclusions.
Let’s face it…$800 for a 4 week supply of Enbrel certainly beats spending $800 a week.