Name:	Alzhemed™
Other Names:	3-amino-1-propanesulfonic acid, 3-aminopropylsulfonic acid, 3-APS, homotaurine, NC-531, Tramiprosate
Therapeutic Applications:	Mild to moderate Alzheimer disease
Therapy Types:	Oral, small molecule
Mechanisms:	Designed to cross the blood-brain barrier, tramiprosate is an amyloid-β antagonist.
FDA Phase:	Not FDA regulated
Primary Medical Role:	Tramiprosate has been proposed to inhibit amyloid deposition.
Role in Alzheimer's Disease:	Tramiprosate was designed to prevent amyloid formation and deposition in the brain, and thus modify the course of AD. It has been tested extensively in clinical trials in both the U.S. and the EU for mild to moderate AD. The recent U.S. Phase 3 trial is widely considered to have failed (see ARF related news story and comments). The EU Phase 3 trial has been discontinued (see ARF related news story). Recent published evidence demonstrates that tramiprosate alters tau aggregation (see Santa-Maria et al., 2007 and comments and ARF related news story).
Pharmacological Role:	Structurally, tramiprosate is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) mimetic designed to interfere with the actions of Aβ early in the cascade of amyloidogenic events. Tramiprosate is a modification of the amino acid taurine. It binds preferentially to soluble Aβ peptide and maintains Aβ in a non-fibrillar form, thereby inhibiting amyloid formation and deposition. Tramiprosate interferes with β-sheet formation of amyloid.
Side Effects:	The most frequent side effects were gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which were intermittent and mild to moderate in severity.
Evidence con its efficacy:	Tramiprosate failed to demonstrate efficacy in long-term clinical testing of cognitive improvement.
Companies:	Neurochem, Inc.
Notes:	On 2 September 2008, Bellus Health (formerly Neurochem Inc.) commercialized VIVIMIND(TM) (homotaurine) as a branded nutraceutical through BELLUS Health's wholly owned subsidiary, OVOS Natural Health Inc. Updated: 26 January 2009.

References

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Aisen PS, Gauthier S, Vellas B, Briand R, Saumier D, Laurin J, Garceau D. Alzhemed: a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Curr Alzheimer Res. 2007 Sep;4(4):473- 8. Abstract

Gervais F, Paquette J, Morissette C, Krzywkowski P, Yu M, Azzi M, Lacombe D, Kong X, Aman A, Laurin J, Szarek WA, Tremblay P. Targeting soluble Aβ peptide with Tramiprosate for the treatment of brain amyloidosis. Neurobiol Aging. 2007 Apr;28(4):537-47. Abstract

Aisen PS, Saumier D, Briand R, Laurin J, Gervais F, Tremblay P, Garceau D. A Phase II study targeting amyloid- β with 3APS in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease. Neurology. 2006 Nov 28;67(10):1757-63. Epub 2006 Nov 2. Abstract

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McLaurin J, Franklin T, Zhang X, Deng J, Fraser PE. Interactions of Alzheimer amyloid-beta peptides with glycosaminoglycans effects on fibril nucleation and growth. Eur J Biochem. 1999 Dec;266(3):1101-10. Abstract

Yang DS, Yip CM, Huang TH, Chakrabartty A, Fraser PE. Manipulating the amyloid-beta aggregation pathway with chemical chaperones. J Biol Chem. 1999 Nov 12;274 (46):32970-4. Abstract

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