World-first dementia drug on trial in Melbourne

Melbourne patients can now trial what is hoped to be a world-first treatment for a devastating, incurable dementia that affects millions of people, including actor Bruce Willis.

The world-first’s treatment for a cruel and deadly form of dementia that is more common in young people may be sitting in a Melbourne laboratory.

Frontotemporal dementia hit headlines after actor Bruce Willis revealed his diagnosis, but the incurable, neurodegenerative disease, which can hit as early as 35, has actually often been under-diagnosed.

Patients’ drastic personality and behavioural changes – triggered by progressive damage or shrinkage to their brain – have often not been identified as symptoms until well after they have lost jobs, relationships or even been imprisoned.

It’s this lack of awareness that has prompted Monash University researchers to speak out about a drug, which they think could be a game changer and is available right now for eligible patients in a trial, still open for recruitment.

Monash University Neuroscientist Terence O’Brien said the disease “devastated” the lives of patients, but was often mistaken for depression, anxiety or a midlife mental breakdown until “eventually the penny drops”.

A patient’s drastic personality and behavioural changes have often not been identified as symptoms until well after they have lost jobs and relationships. Picture: iStock

“A classic sort of situation is a 50-year-old high-functioning executive who starts taking very bizarre decisions, gets in trouble with inappropriate behaviour, and everyone thinks they’re having a midlife crisis and a mental breakdown, and it’s only later that it’s realised,” Professor O’Brien said.

“Sometimes they even get into criminal activity and other things, just because of the disinhibition, lack of judgement.

“Frontal tends to have less memory problems, but more in the way of behavioural change and disinhibition and psychiatric type side effects, disorganisation.”

He said the “devastating progressive” disease was responsible for 10 to 20 per cent of all dementia cases but hoped their drug – based on a non-toxic, naturally occurring compound called sodium selenate – could change that.

“This would be, if it was successful, the first treatment available for this condition.”

Prof Terence said dementia was linked to a build-up of “abnormal” proteins, and their drug was able to target and clear one of these proteins, tau, which is linked to about half of all FTD cases.

Frontotemporal dementia hit headlines after actor Bruce Willis revealed his diagnosis. Picture: Instagram

Proteins … are not broken down properly and they just clog up the brain,” he said.

He said the drug was taken as a pill three times a day and preclinical trials had found it not only protected mice from the disease, but actually reversed some of it.

“We believe it might actually prevent progression, but even potentially reverse some of the problems as well,” he said.

The year-long trial will focus on behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, and needs 120 patients, half of whom will receive a placebo.

Prof O’Brien said the drug’s trial was funded by a federal grant and, if successful, would be affordable, as no one exclusively owns sodium selenate.

“We’ve seen recently that new promising treatments for dementia can cost much more than what governments and ordinary people can afford,” he said.

“Sodium selenate, if it’s proven to be effective, will be very cheap to manufacture.”

He said the fact multiple companies could produce the drug would also help ensure wider availability.

Originally published as World-first dementia drug on trial in Melbourne