Eric Reiman, MD, Executive Director, Banner Alzheimer's Institute

Eric Reiman, MD

“One of the benefits I am hoping we will see with aducanumab’s approval—and the growing access that we will have to blood-based biomarkers—will be the opportunities to reach out to wider groups of individuals and be able to provide information about those resources, while we’re awaiting those treatments that will even more dramatically slow down the [progression] and prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s.” 

The FDA’s approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm; Biogen) for treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) remains a controversial topic of conversation in the medical community. Eric Reiman, MD, executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, spoke with 

 about the approval, noting exciting aspects within the AD field and “animated discussions” in relation to impact for patients and associated costs. 

Reiman discussed the potential of Aβ plaque reduction, as well as the importance of ongoing trials and understanding how to address unmet needs in care. Specific attention was called to inadequate standards of care for patients with memory and thinking problems, a large percentage of whom do not receive an evaluation to rule out reversable problems or receive additional information about life after diagnosis. Reiman remains hopeful that while the community awaits results from additional trials, resources may be made available to those in need, opening access and understanding to a larger group of patients with AD.

Commentary from Reiman coincides with his recent presentation at the 2021 

Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC),

 July 26-30. Along with colleagues, Reiman presented safety data on the efficacy of pimavanserin (Nuplazid; Acadia) in treating dementia-related psychosis from the HARMONY trial (NCT03325556).

Demos G, Foff EP, McEvoy B, Skoog B. Pimavanserin and concomitant antidementia medication use in patients with neurodegenerative and/or neurovascular disorders: safety outcomes from pooled clinical data and the HARMONY study. Presented at: AAIC 2021; Denver, Colorado; July 26-30. Poster 57661.

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The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the approval of aducanumab and the potential to address unmet needs and gaps in care for patients with Alzheimer disease.  

Approval of Aducanumab for Treatment of Alzheimer Disease: Eric Reiman, MD

“Right now, with the approval of aducanumab, it will be interesting to see how CMS [Centers for Medicare & Services] responds in terms of supporting approval for amyloid PET scans…or CSF [cerebrospinal fluid] measures to confirm amyloid positivity or negativity, which we think is very important before considering a drug like aducanumab.”

The process of Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis is seeing potential for advancement in several areas, particularly with the recent and controversial approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm; Biogen/Eisai). Eric Reiman, MD, spoke with 

 on detection and diagnosis of AD, noting encouraging aspects, as well as those that may need improvement. 

Reiman, who is the executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, discussed digital biomarkers, which may allow assessment of patients via information they provide passively, related to mobility, speech patterns, or other criteria. In discussing aducanumab, the publication of 

2021 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference

 (AAIC), July 26-30, encouraged experts in AD, suggesting that clinicians need to be able to confirm mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, as well as the presence of amyloid deposition. Finding more scalable ways to identifying patients who may fall into these categories—potentially virtually—is an area that could provide benefit, Reiman said. 

Cummings JL, Aisen P, Apostolova LG, Atri A, Salloway S, Weiner M. Aducanumab: Appropriate Use Recommendations. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. Published online July 20, 2021. doi: 10.14283/jpad.2021.41.

The approval of aducanumab and other advancements in Alzheimer disease diagnosis remain at the forefront of discussion; Eric Reiman, MD, spoke on the state of diagnosis and those ongoing conversations.  

Needs and Challenges in Alzheimer Disease Diagnosis: Eric Reiman, MD 

“We think having affordable, scalable blood tests have the potential to revolutionize research, drug development, and clinical care.”

The potential for blood-based biomarkers in Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis is an area of particular interest for Eric Reiman, MD, executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. Reiman spoke with 

 regarding the specific opportunities and promise blood testing may offer for AD, particularly to detect the presence or absence of amyloid plaque deposition. 

Reiman discussed the potential of blood tests, noting his participation in a cross-sectional study, published in JAMA last year, which found plasma phospho-tau217 successful in discriminating AD from other neurodegenerative diseases.

 Access to blood tests, Reiman said, could be integral to advancing research efforts, among other goals within drug development and clinical care. 

This commentary from Reiman coincides with his recent presentation at the 

, held from July 26-30. Along with colleagues, he presented safety data on the use of pimavanserin (Nuplazid; Acadia) in treating dementia-related psychosis, concluding that the drug was safe and tolerable when combined with concomitant antidementia medication, namely acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine.

1. Palmqvist S, Janelidze S, Quiroz YT, et al. Discriminative accuracy of plasma phospho-tau217 for Alzheimer disease vs other neurodegenerative disorders. JAMA. 2020;324(8):772–781. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1213
2. Demos G, Foff EP, McEvoy B, Skoog B. Pimavanserin and concomitant antidementia medication use in patients with neurodegenerative and/or neurovascular disorders: safety outcomes from pooled clinical data and the HARMONY study. Presented at: AAIC 2021; Denver, Colorado; July 26-30. Poster 57661.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the future of blood tests as a biomarker that may help in addressing current challenges, including drug development.  

Blood-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer Disease: Eric Reiman, MD

“Each of these areas, treatments that target different elements of tau pathology, inflammation, 

—they all are associated with both with opportunities and some formidable challenges, and the extent to which we address those challenges will determine how well that [will] serve the field in the next few years.”

The controversial FDA approval of aducanumab (Aduhelm; Biogen/Eisai) in the Alzheimer disease (AD) field has generated conversations about the state of the pipeline for different AD treatment options. Eric Reiman, MD, executive director, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, commented on the ongoing clinical trials for antiamyloid beta (Aß) therapies, which include agents such as aducanumab, lecanemab, donanemab, and gantenerumab. 

Additionally, Reiman spoke to additional trials that may provide lower risk antiamyloid treatments, as well as his estimation that the field may see results of gene-silencing treatments, particularly targeting tau, over the course of the next few years. The field is beginning to see “a more diversified portfolio,” Reiman told 

, with different drugs and treatments targeting different elements of the disease.

Alzheimer’s Association Annual Conference (AAIC),

 held from July 26-30, where he and colleagues presented safety data on the efficacy of pimavanserin (Nuplazid; Acadia) for the treatment of dementia-related psychosis. Data concluded that patients with neurodegenerative diseases and/or neurovascular disorders receiving pimavanserin in clinical trials often also received concomitant antidementia medication, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine. The investigators also found that the combination was safe and tolerable.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute commented on ongoing research into amyloid plaque-reducing antibody therapies, the approval of aducanumab, and other initiatives with the ability to impact the treatment of Alzheimer disease.  

The State of the Alzheimer Disease Pipeline: Eric Reiman, MD 

“My passion has been to find and support the approval, affordability, and widespread availability of prevention therapy as soon as possible. I am more optimistic than ever, although [there’s] no guarantee at all, that we may be able to find and support the approval of an effective prevention therapy within the next 5 years.”

New research efforts in Alzheimer disease (AD) are ongoing, with pivotal trials in the works that could potentially have a dramatic effect on the field of study and overall patient care. Erin Reiman, MD, executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI), sat down with 

 to discuss new developments in the AD space, including suggestive findings for the targeting of amyloid, tau, 

, and the use of anti-inflammatory therapies as well as gene therapies. 

Reiman also discussed prevention therapies, as a leader of BAI’s Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative. Approval of a prevention therapy will be contingent on results of ongoing pivotal trials, Reiman said, and once a safe and effective treatment is identified, experts will be able to characterize biomarker changes and employ them in additional early phase trials. 

2021 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC)

 last week, where he and colleagues presented safety data on the efficacy of pimavanserin (Nuplazid; Acadia) in treating dementia-related psychosis. Patients were evaluated with different types of dementia, including AD, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

The executive director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute discussed the current state of AD trials, as well as his perspective on ongoing efforts to establish prevention therapies.

Eric Reiman, MD

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Approval of Aducanumab for Treatment of Alzheimer Disease: Eric Reiman, MD

Needs and Challenges in Alzheimer Disease Diagnosis: Eric Reiman, MD

Blood-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer Disease: Eric Reiman, MD

The State of the Alzheimer Disease Pipeline: Eric Reiman, MD

The State of Alzheimer Disease Clinical Trials and Prevention Efforts: Eric Reiman, MD

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