(Radio Iowa) – University of Iowa Health Care is looking for volunteers to take part in a national study of a drug that shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Del Miller, the U-I’s principal investigator for the study, says they’re looking for people between the ages of 50 and 89 who are just starting to show signs of a problem.

Miller says, “These would be people that have either mild memory impairment or have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.” U-I-H-C is among nearly 50 sites nationwide taking part in what’s dubbed the BenfoTeam study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. The drug is called benfotiamine and Miller hopes it will slow the symptoms or even reverse them.

“If a person decides to be a part of this study,” Miller says, “they would come in for their initial visit, and part of that would be doing some testing of their memory and other brain functions to see if they would meet that criteria.” Volunteering for the study will involve a commitment of more than a year of visits to Iowa City and Miller says it will -not- require a lot of invasive procedures.

“It’s in a duration of 72 weeks,” Miller says, “and so there are visits staggered throughout the study. Early on, it’s more frequently, and the first visit is more of a screening visit to see if the person is appropriate for the study.” For more information and to volunteer, call the study coordinator Karen Smith, at 319-353-5158.

Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. In Iowa, more than 62,000 people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, and there are nearly 100,000 family members and friends caring for their loved ones with the disease.
https://www.benfoteam.org/