Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41145342›Full record

ArticleThe journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease2025

The impact of recent approvals on future alzheimer's disease clinical development: Statistical considerations for combination trials.

Samuel P Dickson, Craig Mallinckrodt, Aaron H Burstein, Laura Nisenbaum, Howard M Fillit, Chenge Zhang, Suzanne B Hendrix

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Samuel P DicksonPentara Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Craig MallinckrodtPentara Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Aaron H BursteinAlzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, NY, NY, USA.
Laura NisenbaumAlzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, NY, NY, USA.
Howard M FillitAlzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, NY, NY, USA.
Chenge ZhangPentara Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Suzanne B HendrixPentara Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Electronic address: shendrix@pentara.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA new era of Alzheimer's disease (AD) research is beginning with multiple approved anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies (mABs). These drugs are currently not widely used, but may be soon, especially at clinical trial sites. Putative disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) may alter the progression rate, potentially reducing our ability to detect effects on top of mABs. Co-administration of amyloid-targeted agents may diminish benefit (antagonism, due to the overlapping mechanism of action); alternatively, complementary treatment mechanisms may increase benefit (synergy).

methodWe consider several clinical trial design scenarios: a 2-arm trial added-on to a mAB, a 2-arm combination compared to double placebo, and a 4-arm full factorial trial. We calculate the required sample sizes for the shortest practical study for secondary prevention (prevention of AD clinical diagnosis in biomarker positive individuals, 2-year study), early AD (18-months), and mild-to-moderate AD (1-year). We consider additivity, antagonism, and synergy.

resultThe expected interaction between investigational and mAB treatment can have a large effect on power and study design. Antagonistic treatment effects often require double the sample size of synergistic effects. The 4-arm scenario required ∼10-fold increase compared to a 2-arm combination study.

conclusionStudies evaluating investigational therapies as add-on to mABs are complex, and their cost will depend on the interaction between treatments. An inescapable fact in add-on trials is the slower progression of the control arm; and it is difficult to further slow already slow progression. Treatments that are likely to work better with amyloid removal will be easier to study due to their complementary MOA. Symptomatic treatments may require fewer additional subjects than disease-modifying treatments since they are less affected by the presence or absence of mABs.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseAntibodies, MonoclonalClinical Trials as TopicDrug ApprovalDrug DevelopmentResearch DesignDisease ProgressionDrug Therapy, CombinationHumansSample SizeAntibodies, MonoclonalAlzheimer’s diseaseCombination trials, add-on trials, statistical considerations

Identifiers

PMID41145342
PMCPMC12627896

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.