title: PF-04494700, an oral inhibitor of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), in Alzheimer disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and tolerability of PF-04494700, an oral inhibitor of receptor for advanced glycation end products, in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged 50 years and older who met the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Diseases and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for Alzheimer disease with an Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score between 12 and 26 (inclusive) were randomized to 10 weeks of double-blind treatment with either a 10 mg "low dose" of PF-04494700 (after a 6-d loading dose of 30 mg/d), a 20 mg "high dose" of PF-04494700 (after a loading dose of 60 mg/d), or placebo. Safety measures included adverse events, laboratory tests, vital signs, and 12-lead electrocardiogram.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-seven patients received PF-04494700 30/co mg (female: 63%; mean age: 74.6 y; mean MMSE: 21.1), 28 patients received PF-04494700 60/20 mg (female: 57%; mean age: 76.6 y; mean MMSE: 21.6), and 12 patients received placebo (female: 67%; mean age: 74.1 y; mean MMSE: 19.2). A higher proportion of patients completed 10 weeks of double-blind treatment on both the "low-dose" regimen of PF-04494700 (88.9%) and the "high-dose" regimen (85.7%) than patients who were on placebo (66.7%). Discontinuation owing to adverse events and incidence of severe adverse events, respectively, were lower in the "low-dose" regimen (7.4%, 11.1%) and the "high-dose" regimen (3.6%, 10.7%) compared with placebo (25.0%, 16.7%). There were no clinically meaningful differences in vital signs, laboratory test results, or mean electrocardiogram parameters in patients treated with PF-04494700. PF-04494700 had no consistent effect on plasma levels of β-amyloid, inflammatory biomarkers, or secondary cognitive outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ten weeks of treatment with PF-04494700 was safe and well tolerated in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease, indicating the feasibility of a larger long-term efficacy trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, The Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research Banner, Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ 85351, USA. marwan.sabbagh@bannerhealth.com
authors.forename: Marwan N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sabbagh
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agro
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Aisen
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schweizer
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galasko
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic