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Studies Presented at International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease Reveal Substantial Economic Costs and Caregiver Burden Associated with Alzheimer's Disease

Vienna (ots/PRNewswire)

Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) and Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) presented
information this week at the Alzheimer Association 2009 International
Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) from seven posters and
one podium presentation about the growing burden of care and costs
associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and how to measure them.
This information sheds light on the impact of AD, which, as the
population ages, will place a significant and increasing burden on
patients, families, and caregivers, as well as public health systems
worldwide. The costs of Alzheimer's disease are difficult to
estimate, highlighting the importance of the information presented.
"These analyses provide important information - in some cases for
the first time - about the associations between AD and the health and
wellbeing of patients, healthcare costs, and the burden on
caregivers," said study investigator, Daniel Murman, M.D., M.S.,
Associate Professor and Director, Memory Disorders and Behavior
Neurology Program with the Department of Neurological Sciences at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center. "This information shows that
not only are AD patients more likely than their peers to suffer from
other serious conditions, but their needed care takes a tremendous
toll on their caregivers. All of this means increased burden and
financial costs to individuals and the healthcare system."
About the Poster Presentations
Poster #P3-221: Predicting Costs of Care for Unique Dependence
Levels in Patients with AD (Murman DL, et al.)
A new, longitudinal, non-interventional study of 133 Alzheimer's
disease patients/caregiver pairs showed an exponential relationship
between total costs and AD dependence levels, with costs increasing
significantly with increasing dependence. In this study, dependence
level provided a useful method to estimate unique levels of care and
associated costs that can be used in pharmacoeconomic evaluations of
new treatments for AD patients in a transparent and meaningful
manner.
Poster #P1-180: Relationship Between Patient Dependence and
Caregiver Burden in Alzheimer's Disease (Lacey LA, et al.)
A new, longitudinal, non-interventional study that included 155
Alzheimer's disease patients/caregiver pairs across the U.S. and
Europe assessed the relationship of AD patients' dependence on
caregiver burden, connecting the impact of worsening AD severity on
family members or other caregivers. This is the first study exploring
the relationship between dependence and caregiver-reported burden via
the Caregiver Reaction Assessment, a tool that captures both negative
and positive reactions of giving care in an informal setting.
Specifically, this poster presented an interim analysis that found
caregivers reported experiencing increased disruption in daily
schedules, greater lack of family support, and more time devoted to
being a caregiver as AD patients' dependence increased.
"Given these recent findings, it's vital for continued research,
measurement, and documentation of the growing burden of care and cost
of Alzheimer's disease to adequately provide support for caregivers
and assess patient healthcare needs," said Dr. Dale P. Schenk,
Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Elan. "Elan
and Wyeth, through the Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program (AIP), are
committed to advancing research in all aspects of the disease."
Poster #P2-071: Increased Risk of Serious Comorbidities in a
Cohort of AD Patients Compared to a Similar Non-AD Cohort (Malone D,
et al.)
A retrospective data analysis showed that AD patients appear to
have a higher prevalence of certain serious conditions compared to
patients without AD. These analyses were comprised of an evaluation
of claims data for more than 33 million Americans from a managed care
population over the course of eight years. The study authors
concluded that the most notable serious conditions were decubitus
ulcers (bed sores, 5-fold higher), seizures (4-fold higher), hip
fractures, (3-fold higher), depression (3-fold higher), and pneumonia
(2-fold higher).
According to Professor Roy Jones, Director, The Research
Institute for the Care of Older People, Bath, United Kingdom, these
conditions alone can add significant burden to patients and their
loved ones, but in combination with AD, they often translate into
significant financial cost, poor health outcomes, and higher risk of
death. "I regularly see elderly patients who have multiple conditions
that increase the complexity of their care, but until now there have
been little data available to reflect the significance and increased
prevalence of other conditions in people with Alzheimer's disease,"
Professor Jones said.
Poster #P2-066: Web-Based Application to Estimate and Project the
Burden of Alzheimer's Disease and Evaluate the Impact of Potential
Interventions (Colantuoni E, et al.)
More than 26 million people worldwide are estimated to have
Alzheimer's disease; however, an updated model suggests that global
AD prevalence can be expected to increase to over 100 million by
2050. The Web-based application presented in the poster allowed cost
estimate calculations on the future burden of AD. The tool was shown
to generate projections for a specified population and generate
estimates of disease burden, costs, and/or Disability Adjusted Life
Years (DALYs), along with the impact of interventions that can reduce
risk or slow progression. Projecting the future burden of AD is
important for researchers and policy makers who are evaluating the
potential impact of interventions that may reduce disease risk or
slow disease progression.
"This kind of work is important and we applaud the Alzheimer's
Immunotherapy Program (AIP) for supporting research to better
understand the burden of this disease and its impact on affected
families," said Marc Wortman, Executive Director, Alzheimer's Disease
International.
Editors Note: The following Elan and Wyeth abstracts were also
presented at ICAD:
    -- Poster #P1-204: Estimating HRQOL for Unique Dependence Levels in
       Patients with AD (Murman DL, et al.)
    -- Poster #P3-113: Hip Fracture Risk and Subsequent Mortality among
       Alzheimer's Disease Patients in the United Kingdom, 1988-2007 (Baker
       NL, et al.)
    -- Poster #P1-212: Estimating Dependence Scale Scores Based on Clinical
       Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes Scores in Patients with Mild Cognitive
       Impairment or Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease (Cohen J, et al.)
    -- Podium: Development of an Algorithm for Identifying AD Severity in
       Administrative Claims Data (Mucha L, et al.)
About Alzheimer's Disease
It is estimated that one in eight baby boomers will develop AD,
resulting in significant costs to society and individuals. Recent
data estimate the cost of dementia including AD at nearly US$120
billion annually in direct and indirect costs in Europe and US$148
billion in the U.S.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder that
gradually destroys a person's memory and ability to learn, reason,
make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities, such as
bathing and eating. As Alzheimer's disease progresses, individuals
may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as
anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or
hallucinations.
About the Elan and Wyeth Collaboration
The Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program (AIP) is a collaboration
between Elan and Wyeth to research, develop, and commercialize
immunotherapeutic approaches that may be used to treat and possibly
prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The AIP is committed to
researching the burden of care and cost of AD as well as developing
tools that help advance these efforts. The AIP is also currently
conducting clinical trial enrollment throughout Europe and the United
States for its lead investigative compound bapineuzumab.
An extensive global Phase 3 clinical program was initiated in
December 2007 for bapineuzumab as a potential treatment for patients
with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. To learn more about this
trial and potential enrollment, patients or caregivers should contact
clinical sites directly. Participating clinical sites in North
America can be found by visiting www.icarastudy.com or calling
1-888-818-MEMORY. For study information outside North America, visit
www.globalicarastudy.com. Study site details also can be found on
www.clinicaltrials.gov. In addition, the AIP is continuing to conduct
safety trials with bapineuzumab subcutaneous and ACC-001.
About Elan
Elan Corporation, plc is a neuroscience-based biotechnology
company committed to making a difference in the lives of patients and
their families by dedicating itself to bringing innovations in
science to fill significant unmet medical needs that continue to
exist around the world. Elan shares trade on the New York, London and
Dublin Stock Exchanges. For additional information about the company,
please visit http://www.elan.com.
About Wyeth
Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) is one of the world's largest research-driven
pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in
the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of
pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products, nutritionals and
non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for
people worldwide. The Company's major divisions include Wyeth
Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal
Health.
Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release regarding the Alzheimer's
Immunotherapy Program, including the clinical program for
bapineuzumab, are forward-looking statements that are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. In
particular, there can be no assurance that the clinical program for
bapineuzumab will be successful in demonstrating safety and/or
efficacy, that we will not encounter problems or delays in clinical
development, or that bapineuzumab will ever receive regulatory
approval or be successfully commercialized. Other risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements
include those detailed from time to time in the companies' periodic
reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
Wyeth`s current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q
and annual report on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the
caption "Item 1A, Risk Factors" in Wyeth's Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2008, which was filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2009, and Elan's
Reports of Foreign Issuer on Form 6-K and Annual Report on Form 20-F,
particularly the discussion under the caption "Item 3D, Risk Factors"
in Elan's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31,
2008, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
February 26, 2009 The forward-looking statements in this press
release are qualified by these risk factors. The companies assume no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Contact:

investors, Chris Burns, +1-800-252-3526, or David Marshall,
+353-1-709-4444, both of Elan, or Justin Victoria, +1-973-660-5340 of
Wyeth; media, Mary Stutts, +1-650-794-4403 or +1-650-823-5255, or
Miriam Mason, +1-650-238-7113 or +1-650-877-7616, both of Elan, or
Douglas Petkus, +1-973-660-5218, or Gwendolyn Fisher,
+1-484-865-5160, both of Wyeth

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