Phase 2a clinical trial targeting anxiety, depression in Alzheimer’s begins
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Key takeaways:
- Biomind Labs began a phase 2a trial of a 5-MeO-DMT-based drug for treating anxiety and depression in Alzheimer’s disease.
- It is the first clinical trial to target anxiety and depression in Alzheimer’s disease.
A biotech company has started the first clinical trial of a sublingual formulation targeting anxiety and depression in people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a press release.
The phase 2a study of the psychedelic 5-Metoxi-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT)-based candidate BMND08 (Biomind Labs) is double-blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled. There are 40 participants aged 50 to 75 years enrolled, according to the release from Biomind.
“Biomind’s trial aims to clarify the clinical profile of anxiety and depression and its association with Alzheimer’s disease in community samples of amnestic mild cognitive impairment, evaluating whether progression to Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed through routine monitoring and timely management of anxiety and depressive symptoms,” Martín Bruno, PhD, clinical adviser of Biomind and lead investigator of the study, said in the release. “Amnestic mild cognitive impairment is characterized by memory impairment with preservation of functional independence and is considered a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease. However, rates of conversion to Alzheimer’s disease are highly variable.”
Symptoms such as anxiety and depression are common in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and are strong predictors of conversion to Alzheimer’s disease, Bruno said in the release.
“The burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is already costing trillions of dollars to the global economy, and an aging population is an exacerbating factor,” Alejandro Antalich, CEO of Biomind, said in the release. “This burden may be decreased by a radical and fast intervention that goes beyond traditional and conventional treatments in order to tackle this silent and hidden neurological disease.”