DISAJP NEWS Vol.41 August 4th, 2021
Dementia Improved Support Association of Japan
This email is sent to those who subscribe DISA NEWS, the newsletter from the Dementia Improved Support Association of Japan.
We deliver the newsletter on the 4th of each month to bring you valuable information, aiming to achieve the dementia-free world.
Contents
〇 Controversial approval of Biogen’s Aduhelm
〇 REISHI LOZENGES WITH CHINABERRY LEAVES , \4,500 for 15 drops
〇 Latest news on dementia and its prevention
〇 100 things by Dr. Hasegawa, the developer of HDS-R
〇 International mail delivery of KOUKA
〇 Controversial approval of Biogen’s Aduhelm
In the previous issue, we raised a question “Is U.S. FDA ‘s approval for Aduhelm a good news?”
https://disajp.org/disajp-news-english/3985/
On June 7, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for ADUHELM as the first and only Alzheimer’s disease treatment to address a defining pathology of the disease by reducing amyloid beta plaques in the brain.
https://www.eisai.com/news/2021/news202141.html
This resulted in soar in the stock prices of Biogen and Eisai by 50% and 78% respectively.
Meanwhile, three of the eleven advisory panel’s members who had participated in the examination of the drug resigned in protest against the FDA’s decision.
On July 9, Janet Woodcock, acting director of the US FDA, took to Twitter to make the announcement that she called for an independent investigation into what had happened between Biogen and the agency. The statement led to temporal down 5 % of Biogen’s stock price on the day.
– Woodcock calls for investigation into Aduhelm approval
https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2021/7/woodcock-calls-for-investigation-into-aduhelm-appr
On July 15, Aduhelm hit new barriers with some large hospitals declining to use it and health insurers delaying a decision while awaiting coverage terms from Medicare.
– UPDATE 4-Biogen Alzheimer’s drug hits roadblocks with some hospitals, insurers
https://jp.reuters.com/article/health-biogen-alzheimers-idCNL1N2OR2FV
On July 22, Biogen said getting hospitals and clinics to use the drug and insurers to reimburse it has been slower than it expected, as controversy mounts over FDA’s approval process for the treatment.
– Biogen says uptake on new Alzheimer’s drug slower than expected
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biogen-profit-tumbles-71-rising-competition-multiple-sclerosis-drug-2021-07-22/
On July 29, Biogen and Eisai revealed the design of an upcoming study of Aduhelm at a session of the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
– Biogen, Eisai report design of real-world study of Alzheimer’s treatment
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biogen-eisai-report-design-real-world-study-alzheimers-treatment-2021-07-29/
The following article is informative to learn the drug’s problems including side effects, and also the reason why certain panel’s members are claiming it dangerous to approve it.
– A New Alzheimer’s Drug Comes With Lots Of Questions About How To Use It
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/29/1022263054/a-new-alzheimers-drug-comes-with-lots-of-questions-about-how-to-use-it
Here are some excerpts from the article:
“Usually, doctors look to a drug’s label and instructions for guidance on appropriate use and safety. But experts say that’s not enough when it comes to Aduhelm.”
“Aduhelm presents a special challenge because it must be infused directly into the bloodstream and can cause potentially dangerous swelling and bleeding in the brain.”
“But during a session at the Alzheimer’s conference, even senior research scientists had questions about using Aduhelm.”
“Several discussed the difficulty in planning treatment for Black and nonwhite Hispanic patients, who were largely left out of research studies on the drug.”
“They noted that those studies found that people with a genetic variant called APOE4 are twice as likely to experience side effects from Aduhelm.”
In the past in Japan, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma (former Tanabe Seiyaku Co.) developed Hopate, a widely used dementia prevention drug, which later on manufactured by 36 followers and used for 0.15 million people. As it was the only drug on this field at the time, Hopate became the best seller recording the annual sales of 30 billion yen.
On February 21, 1989, however, it was designated as a dangerous drug by the Health and Welfare Ministry, as its side effects caused death of eleven people.
Probably, Eisai wanted to keep its market standing after the patent for its product Aricept (Donepezil) expired in 2018.
No wonder it doesn’t want to lose the top spot in the field worth several trillion yen.
Our association once had a question from a future journalist from the US, “Did you gain FDA approval for KOUKA?”
”It costs too much, so we’ll spend that money on further R&D,” answered Prof Mori.
Indeed, KOUKA is a fruit from this independent attitude.
KOUKA is a processed food of Ganoderma lucidum.
The ingredients are edible linseed oil, extract essence from Ganoderma lucidum, beer yeast (containing selenium), mackerel peptide DHA, EPA, fungus carbon powder (enzymatic decomposition product), dextrin (encapsulant), gelatin, glycerin, glycerol ester of fatty acid, and pullulan.
KOUKA is chemical free food. It is designed to deliver reishi essence and other substances that positively effect on cognitive functions to the brain through the blood-brain barrier. By improving microcirculation, it enhances oxygen and nutrition supply to the brain, as well as excretion of waste products from the brain.
Aduhelm might be able to remove brain plaques, but they might not be excreted.
KOUKA is physiologically functional to carry waste out of the brain.
〇 REISHI LOZENGES WITH CHINABERRY LEAVES , \4,500 for 15 drops
Name: lozenges
Ingredients: starch syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, reishi extract powder, charred reishi powder, flavors, chinaberry leaf extract powder, vitamin C
Amount: 60g (4g × 15 drops)
Suck on a drop for 30 minutes or more without chewing it.
Do not have water or tea to enjoy its unique bitter sweet flavor for many minutes.
Influenza virus invades the body through nose or mouth.
To keep out the virus, strong mucus membrane of the throat is essential.
Suck on a drop slowly to make active ingredients stay attached to the throat, and reishi and chinaberry extracts will deactivate the virus and prevent its growth.
Keeping the mucus membrane clean is important. That’s why gargling is recommended as a flu prevention.
From 2009 to the spring in 2011, H1N1 swine flu was prevalent.
This threat drove us to develop REISHI LOZENGES WITH CHINABERRY LEAVES.
Every year, WHO estimates what kind of influenza is likely to go around and encourages specific type of vaccination. Unfortunately the forecast is not always right, and some get infected even after being vaccinated.
Today, COVID-19 vaccines are beginning to be widely used worldwide, but they are intended to prevent severe cases and less likely to prevent the infection itself.
REISHI LOZENGES WITH CHINABERRY LEAVES can be a good option that you can have in your daily life.
Reishi is a species of Ganoderma lucidum, while chinaberry is a species of deciduous tree native to tropical and subtropical regions in Asia.
The extracts from these plants were made into lozenges by a man versed in infection: Masao Mori, who serves as the director of Microcirculation Laboratory Inc. as well as a Professor advisory in Fudan University Shanghai Medical Center.
“REISHI LOZENGES WITH CHINABERRY LEAVES will strongly prevent or ameliorate influenza. Research by Japan Food Research Laboratories showed that the drops deactivated 99.9% of H1N1 virus.”
“By enhancing immunity, reishi increases resistance against flu. Chinaberry leaves have high antiviral effect. With these drops, you can deactivate the virus invading and attached to mucus membrane of the throat.”
Actually, a patient, who developed flu after having been vaccinated, sucked three drops in a day right after the symptoms appeared, and then they were gone in the next day.
(Nikkan Gendai: Health, written by Hiroaki Miyagishi, November 29, 2011)
〇 Latest news on dementia and its prevention
– Researchers are concerned about the possibility that COVID-19 might lead to dementia
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/07/29/covid-19-alzheimers-brain-condition-infection-long-haulers-dementia/5405461001/
– Cutting air pollution levels ‘improves brain function and lowers risk of dementia’, studies suggest
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94686-4
– The association between carotid blood flow and resting-state brain activity in patients with cerebrovascular diseases
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94717-0
– Correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes using non-negative matrix factorization
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-94048-0
〇 100 things by Dr. Hasegawa, the developer of HDS-R
At home and abroad, Dr. Kazuo Hasegawa, now 92, has enormously contributed to establishment of the groundwork for diagnosis of dementia.
In 2017, at the age of 88, he disclosed his disease.
After spending many years studying dementia, Dr. Hasegawa himself finally developed the disease.
He decided to make it public, because he wanted to let people know that anybody can have dementia.
And also, he wanted to make society more open to the disease.
Hoping to make it easier for those living with dementia to talk about the disease openly, he published a book titled I’m Enjoying my Spiritual Life with Dementia.
In the book Dr. Hasegawa shares 100 things he found.
41. Show some old photos or pictures related something in the past to help recall. Your loved one could begin to talk about their memory with joy.
42. The first thing for those living with dementia is that they can feel secure and relieved.
43. Sometimes you can’t help but say “I told you” or “you did it again? ” to someone with dementia, when his memory gets poorer.
It will cause him stress and confusion that increase the risk for BPSD.
44. Every BPSD has its own cause and purpose. Try to be aware of them, and you will understand more about why it happens.
45. When one loses a memory with dementia, he will begin to tell a story to make up for it.
46. People living with dementia sometimes suspect family members when they lose their belongings.
It is no use answering “I didn’t steal it.” Just share the fact that something is missing and start looking for it together.
47. Those living with dementia could walk around without knowing or remembering where they are or where they are going.
You can go with them, saying “I’m going this way too, so I’ll go part of the way with you”, rather than trying to stop them.
48. People living with dementia often behave just as they want, ignoring what others say.
As they don’t realize that it is a symptom, they can get exited or become offensive if you try to stop what they are doing.
49. Don’t deny a visual or auditory hallucination offhand. And don’t join their story, or you will incite the hallucination.
Just accept their description and do nothing more.
50. BPSD can be dramatically improved by better caregiving environment.
〇 International mail delivery of KOUKA
Japan Post announced to resume the operation of EMS to US, having been suspended due to spread of COVID-19, in June with increased charge.
The operation is already back in service to Europe and Asia.
Every overseas order for one package costs the total amount of 42,000JPY including the product’s price (39,000JPY) and EMS charge (3,000JPY).
We accept PayPal payment.
Don’t forget to check on the custom duty for your country before ordering.
The custom duty, if any, will be charged to the recipient.