Author: Rachael Hansford

Eisai and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) have announced the launch of a joint collaboration to support the advancement in dementia research. This first-of-its-kind industry collaboration for the UK DRI aims to deliver innovative research that translates into improvements in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of all types of dementia.

There are approximately 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over one million by 2025.¹ As the ageing of the global population gathers pace, the number of dementia patients worldwide is expected to follow this trend, with the total number of people with dementia projected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050.²

To combat this global issue, the UK DRI draws together world-leading expertise into a single national institute that conducts research into all aspects of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, and Huntington’s disease.

Eisai is delighted to initiate this joint programme with the UK Dementia Research Institute, bringing new ideas and cutting-edge science to the significant challenge of dementia. As the UK Dementia Research Institute’s first joint collaboration with industry, this programme will provide an environment in which post-doctoral researchers at the forefront of dementia research in the UK can demonstrate the potential of their research to develop treatments for dementia patients.”

Dr Andy Takle, Executive Director and Head, Eisai Hatfield Research Laboratories.

Researchers will benefit from both the UK DRI’s state-of-the-art research facilities and Eisai’s drug discovery and translational expertise, and will support the work of the UK DRI in striving to elucidate novel drug discovery targets and mechanisms, develop new dementia models, and accelerate the linkage of these research results to diagnostics, treatment and care.

This collaboration is a wonderful example of the UK DRI’s desire to work with industry for the greater good of dementia science and patient outcomes. We are grateful for the investment and partnership of Eisai, and indeed for the work of all the dedicated researchers trying to move to new frontiers in addressing dementia. We look forward to seeing more fresh thinking on dementia, and to welcoming our colleagues at Eisai to the UK DRI community of ideas and energy.

Dr Adrian Ivinson, UK DRI Director and COO

Eisai has been conducting research on neurodegenerative diseases in the UK since 1990. In 2012 the company began a research collaboration with University College London (UCL) which will run until 2023, and was established as part of the company’s ‘Open Innovation’ strategy to collaborate with leading researchers and translate new research findings into innovative treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

References:

1. The Alzheimer’s Society. Facts for the media. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/news-and-media/facts-media. Last accessed May 2019.
2. Alzheimer’s Disease International. World Alzheimer Report 2018.  https://www.alz.co.uk/research/WorldAlzheimerReport2018.pdf. Last accessed May 2019.

Christchurch Group, a leading operator of specialist neurological rehabilitation, has recently announced the appointment of Donald Muir as Non-Executive Chairman.

With over 25 years’ experience of managing positive business transformation in the telecoms and technology and healthcare sectors, Donald’s knowledge will be an asset to the organisation.

Notably in healthcare, Donald led the operational transformation of three NHS Trusts, resulting in substantial improvement in performance, care quality and patient satisfaction.

Prior to his appointment at Christchurch Group, Donald was Non-Executive Director of Cambian plc, a leader in the provision of children’s care services and autism schools, delivering improvements in operational performance and quality of care.

Richard Mckenzie, CEO of Christchurch Group, added:

Donald’s experience will be invaluable to our organisation and we are looking forward to working with him to further develop the business and continually improve on the quality of service we are able to provide to our patients.

Donald added:

I’m excited about joining the Christchurch team. In my role I will be dedicated to supporting the group in succeeding with their vision to be the leader of neurological rehabilitation in the healthcare sector.

Donald’s focus for the next couple of months will be to work closely with the executive team to enhance capabilities and outputs, with the key focus being on the continued high quality of care delivery and ensuring full occupancy of the facilities.

Christchurch Group was established in 1998 to provide high quality brain injury rehabilitation within a community setting. The organisation has since grown into a leading provider of specialist neurological rehabilitation that offers a range of specialist services across eight centres in York, Lincoln, Birmingham, Northampton, Bedford and Harwell in Oxfordshire.

People in Scotland get access to new first-in-class treatment Ocrevus^®▼(ocrelizumab) for multiple sclerosis^[1]

• Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) recommends ocrelizumab for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis¹
• Over 11,000 Scots are living with multiple sclerosis^[2]
• Incidence of multiple sclerosis in Scotland remains the highest in the UK²

10 December 2018, Welwyn Garden City – The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has recommended ocrelizumab as a treatment option for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in adults with active disease defined by clinical or imaging features who are contraindicated or otherwise unsuitable for alemtuzumab.¹

The announcement marks a major milestone for Scotland where there are over 11,000 people living with multiple sclerosis.²  Scotland has one of the highest incidences of multiple sclerosis in the UK with Orkney recording the world’s highest rate.^2,[3]

RRMS is the most common type of MS and is characterised by episodes of new or worsening signs or symptoms (relapses) followed by periods of recovery.^[4],[5] Ocrelizumab is a first-in-class therapy with twice-yearly dosing and has one of the least burdensome monitoring requirements compared to other currently available infusion based treatments in RRMS.^[6],[7],[8]

Ocrelizumab is licensed for both relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in over 68 countries globally, with over 70,000 people having been treated with this first-in-class treatment.^[9]

‘This is really welcome news for people with relapsing MS in Scotland, as it gives them access to proven treatment alongside people in the rest of the UK,” said Linden Muirhead, Director, Information and Engagement at the MS Trust. “We are also hopeful that ocrelizumab will be made available for those with early primary progressive MS across the UK in the near future. There are currently no treatments that can slow the progression of this form of the disease, in which disability accumulates significantly faster than for those with the relapsing form.”

Ocrelizumab has been shown to reduce relapses per year by nearly half, slow the worsening of disability, and reduce the number of new MRI lesions over a 96 week controlled treatment period compared with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a.¹⁰ Ocrelizumab has also been shown to have a safety profile generally comparable to subcutaneous injection interferon beta-1a comparative control groups (44 mcg administered three times per week).¹⁰ Rates were generally comparable in both groups for serious adverse events and serious infections compared with patients in the interferon beta-1a comparative control groups.^[10] The most common reported adverse events include infusion-related reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, nasopharyngitis, headaches and urinary tract infections.¹⁰

Ocrelizumab is the first and only licensed treatment for (early) PPMS⁶ which means the process for reimbursement is complex. In clinical trials, ocrelizumab has shown it could delay the need for a wheelchair by seven years in people with PPMS, compared to placebo.^[11],[12]

“We are thrilled that people in Scotland with RRMS can now access and benefit from ocrelizumab. However this isn’t the end of our journey in supporting the MS community in Scotland,” said Dr Marius Scholtz, Integrated Franchise Leader, Neuroscience, Roche Products Ltd, UK. “We want people with early PPMS, a much harder-to-treat form of the illness that devastatingly has no current disease-modifying treatment available on the NHS, to have access to ocrelizumab, and will continue to work with the SMC to make sure that this happens as soon as possible.”