Etanercept Treatment for Alzheimer's Elicits Increased Attention
I'm pleased to see that etanercept treatment for Alzheimer's disease is receiving more attention among the scientific community.For those not familiar with this approach, it involves a perispinal injection of etanercept, a medication that reduces the amount of TNF (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) in the brain. TNF regulates the brain's neural impulses, but elevated levels can disrupt brain function. Higher levels of TNF have been associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Etanercept (brand name Enbrel) is FDA-approved for treatment of a number of immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, but it is not FDA-approved as a treatment for Alzheimer's. The treatment is currently only available in private clinics such as the Institute for Neurological Research, which is run by Dr. Edward Tobinick, the pioneer of this approach.
Dr. Tobinick's research on perispinal etanercept treatment for Alzheimer's disease has been cited in over 20 scientific journals in 2008, including:
- Journal of Neuroscience
- The American Journal of Pathology
- Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
- Biological Psychiatry
- Journal of Clinical Investigation
- Brain Research
I certainly don't pretend to know whether etanercept is the answer to Alzheimer's, and I fully advocate clinical trials to test the treatment's efficacy and safety. I just wish these trials were happening, well, yesterday. I'm haunted by the testimonials I've received from several family members who tell me that this treatment has done wonders for their loved ones. What haunts me is the question of how many more people might be helped if the treatment was more accessible?
Illustration © Alzheimer's Disease Education & Referral Center
Comments
Hi Carrie,
Thank you! You have worded this eloquently.
Dr. Tobinick’s research is now getting the recognition it deserves from many researchers. But why haven’t they stepped up to the plate to do the Clinical Trial? Why haven’t they openly backed him and tried to help stop all the controversy. Dr. Tobinick doesn’t have the kind of money it takes to run a large trial that is needed. He needs help.
I have written here before to let you know that my Mom is receiving the treatment from Dr. Tobinick. I do not work for Dr. Tobinick and I am not promoting this for any financial gain or benefits. I never thought it would be this hard to tell people about something so important. My Mom responded well and improved in the beginning and then leveled out and was maintaining…no more decline! But then, she had a huge physical set-back this summer when she had to have her whole colon removed do to years of Diverticulosis. (She did not have an infection and this problem was unrelated to the Enbrel). Before they did surgery, she had to have about 12 blood transfusions. As you probably know, many Alzheimer patients don’t ever truly recover from such a huge set-back. We had to stop the Enbrel treatment for about a month, and the AD just took over. We started back up again, and she is again coming back. She is almost to where she was cognitively right before the surgery, but physically she has lost the ability to walk on her own since she was in the hospital for so long without much re-hab. But…even that is coming back slowly. She is able to now use the walker on her own…for very short distances. Every week I see a little improvement…but I don’t think she’ll ever get back to where she was.
It makes me sad that so many people are waiting to get this treatment, and that so many think Dr. Tobinick is just in it for the money…his charges and fees don’t make a dent in the amount of his own money and time that he has already spent on this. He has put his whole reputation on the line to keep this going. If he could give this away for free and still pay his staff, his bills and still do his research, then I’m sure he would..but he can’t.
Thank you for keeping and open mind throughout all of this and for letting others know that researchers are now starting to believe in the TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) theory that Dr. Tobinick is using. I’m sure that Bill Gates and others like him are inundated with requests, but this is so very very important and I don’t know how to reach such an influential person. Any help would be appreciated.
Sincerely, Felicia
famc(at)yahoo.com
Thanks so much for bringing attention to Alzheimer’s, and this important issue.
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