Share This Page

Will BRAVYL Reduce “Wandering” in Advanced Clinical Trials?

Woolsey Pharmaceuticals on Feb. 18, 2021 announced the launch of a Phase 2 CNS study of a medication intended to reduce wandering in dementia patients. Learn more.


Woolsey Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage company that develops treatments for neurodegenerative diseases; the company announced the dosing of the first patient with BRAVYL in its FOUND (Fasudil fOr Uncontrolled waNDering) study for Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia patients who have wandering behaviors of elopement and/or getting lost.

Dementia is the leading cause of dependency and disability amongst older adults. Wandering is one of the most dangerous dementia-related behaviors.

In early February 2021, in the midst of a massive winter storm that slammed the Northeast, a 67-year-old Allentown, PA woman who had Alzheimer’s disease, wandered away from her home.

After a frantic search, the woman was found four blocks away, lying in a snowbank. She was pronounced dead from hypothermia a few hours later.

Wandering in dementia patients

The stress experienced by families and caregivers when a person living with dementia wanders and becomes lost is significant.

Wandering represents the “tipping point” for many caregivers, as they are more likely to report significant depression and burden — which, in turn, can lead to the gut-wrenching decision to place a loved one in a nursing home or locked memory care unit.

BRAVYL (oral fasudil), is a potent inhibitor of Rho-kinase (ROCK) and is believed to reduce wandering behaviors by improving blood flow in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a major role in navigation, learning, and memory. BRAVYL is non-sedating.

BRAVYL has been tested in a small study of dementia patients who had symptoms of wandering. The disappearance of wandering symptoms in these patients was observed shortly after the start of treatment.

Not long after discontinuation of treatment, patients returned to their pretreatment (wandering) state. This on-off effect was replicated more than once in these subjects.

The FOUND study

FOUND is a Phase 2a study to evaluate whether BRAVYL improves wandering behaviors of excess movement and pacing, cognition, memory, neuropsychiatric symptomatology, and caregiver/nursing staff burden, among other endpoints.

Participation spans 26 weeks. FOUND is currently recruiting at multiple sites in the United States and Australia.

“Wandering away from home or a care facility is dangerous for people with dementia and stressful for families and caregivers who must continually monitor the person’s movement 24 hours a day,” said Dr. David Thomas, professor at Eastern Michigan University and noted expert on dementia-related wandering.

“If results from an earlier study could be replicated here, it would certainly represent a historic and momentous step forward in the quality of life and care of people who wander.”

“We are pleased to enroll the first patient in the FOUND trial, which will further our understanding of the potential role of BRAVYL for the treatment of dementia patients who wander,” said David Geliebter, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Woolsey Pharmaceuticals.

“Today’s announcement is an important milestone in bringing more than just hope to these patients and their loved ones.”

Data readout in the study is anticipated in 2022.

MORE INFO:

    In late 2019, Woolsey Pharmaceuticals, a portfolio company of Embark Healthcare, licensed exclusive rights to BRAVYL from a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company. The drug’s active ingredient, fasudil, is approved in Japan and China in an IV formulation for the treatment of cerebral vasospasm. Woolsey’s drug, BRAVYL, is an oral version of fasudil. Woolsey Pharmaceuticals is a portfolio company of Embark Healthcare (embarkhc.com).

SOURCE:

Related:

Email me when people comment
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Merry
Merry
July 23, 2021 8:53 pm

My husband who has Alzheimer's just completed this study and the Fasudil helped him tremendously. I wish we could fast track these results in or to expedite the approval by the FDA. WE NEED THIS DRUG NOW.

Edited by:
Picture of P. Berger

P. Berger

This site was inspired by my Mom’s autoimmune dementia.

It is a place where we separate out the wheat from the chafe, the important articles & videos from each week’s river of news. Google gets a new post on Alzheimer’s or dementia every 7 minutes. That can overwhelm anyone looking for help. This site filters out, focuses on and offers only the best information. it has helped hundreds of thousands of people since it debuted in 2007. Thanks to our many subscribers for your supportive feedback.

The site is dedicated to all those preserving the dignity of the community of people living with dementia.

Peter Berger, Editor

Share this page To

You May LIke:

Stethoscope checking a woman's heartbeat
Prevention

Saving Women from Strokes

VIDEOS + ARTICLE: Women are dangerously under-educated on female stroke risk. “Women do not think they are going to have a stroke. They think of it as a man’s disease,” said Dr. Greene-Chandos. Yet millions of women have strokes, often leading to vascular dementia. Learn what to look for and how to take action.

Read More »
Share to Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

This site was inspired by my Mom’s autoimmune dementia.

It is a place where we separate out the wheat from the chafe, the important articles & videos from each week’s river of news. Google gets a new post on Alzheimer’s or dementia every 7 minutes. That can overwhelm anyone looking for help. This site filters out, focuses on and offers only the best information. it has helped hundreds of thousands of people since it debuted in 2007. Thanks to our many subscribers for your supportive feedback.

The site is dedicated to all those preserving the dignity of the community of people living with dementia.

Peter Berger, Editor

Visit Alzheimer's Weekly On

1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x

Free
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Weekly Newsletter

News, Treatments, Care Tips, Diet, Research, Diagnosis, Therapies & Prevention
News to Get at the Truth

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter