COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rod Blough is in a race against time, and he's willing to try just about anything to get more of it.
That's why he hopes aducanumab, the first drug thought to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the coming days. Blough, 62, of Dublin, has been dealing with early onset Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia since 2015 and "can't afford to wait" around for another breakthrough in treatment.
Blough's diagnosis at the age of 57 forced him to quit a job he loved and instead of religiously relying on his Outlook calendar, he now uses a chalkboard in his home to remind himself of his plans every day. He used to run marathons but now struggles to walk an entire block because his muscles are atrophying.
"My memory had started to deteriorate a little bit. My executive function, which was critical to my job performance, was starting to deteriorate," Blough said. "I didn't have the energy that I used to have, and it was decreasing at a rate faster than you would have expected with the normal aging process. So looking back, those are some of the really early signs."
The FDA is expected to make a decision on aducanumab by Monday. But, along with a lot of promise, the drug comes with a bit of controversy.
There were two clinical trials for aducanumab going on at the same time. One trial showed benefits, while data from the parallel trial showed no positive signs, said Dr. Doug Scharre, director of the division of cognitive neurology at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center.
That outcome, along with some questions about dosage, led some medical experts to call for more research before the FDA considers approving the drug, Scharre said.
How does aducanumab work in Alzheimer patients?
Aducanumab works like an antibody, he said. It attacks plaque that builds up in the brain of most people suffering from Alzheimer's, preventing it from killing cells and thus slowing the disease, Scharre said.
If approved, patients who qualify could be administered the drug via infusion once a month in a doctor's office. Scharre has been involved in the clinical trials for aducanumab and is eager to see if he'll soon be able to prescribe it to patients.
"It's not a cure, but we think this could actually change the course of the disease," Scharre said. "It's wonderful news. It's the beginning of the end when we actually have disease-modifying therapies."
The drug would be the first new prescription drug for Alzheimer’s on the market since 2003, according to the Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association.
That means aducanumab could become a game changer, said Vince McGrail, the association's executive director. Researchers have been working for decades, McGrail said, to create a drug that can slow Alzheimer's.
McGrail expects the association will get a lot of calls from families and Alzheimer's patients if the FDA signs off on the drug. Part of the group's job will be to get the word out about the new treatment.
The association will also try to get more people who suspect they have Alzheimer's to check in with their doctor. It will be a critical step, McGrail said, because the new drug is thought to be more effective if the disease is caught early.
"It's a step forward and something big that we've never had before, if it's approved," McGrail said. "We're excited about the possibilities."
Blough and his wife, Jennifer Blough, have been a big part of the local Alzheimer's Association's outreach in Ohio. The two have met with members of Congress and U.S. senators to push for more research funding.
Blough is nearing the end of a two-year term on the board for the Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association. Jennifer Blough was appointed by the governor to serve as a member of the state Alzheimer's task force.
The advocacy work gave Blough something to focus on after he was diagnosed, which forced him to leave his job as a human resources executive at the Luxottica Group's Columbus-area factory, which makes Ray-Ban glasses.
In fact, Blough's first sign of Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia, the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's, showed up when he was working. He collapsed one day on the factory floor shortly after arriving back from a business trip.
Blough was taken to OhioHealth's Grant Medical Center and suffered a spate of amnesia. Although it was 2015, Blough thought George W. Bush was still president and didn't remember the name of his son's girlfriend who was at the hospital.
After Blough regained his memory, doctors thought the collapse was an isolated incident.
But then, four months later he collapsed again. A few months after that, in the spring of 2016, Blough careened off the road on his bike and into a utility pole.
By that point, doctors knew something more serious was going on and after a barrage of different tests, they diagnosed him with both Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia. People with Lewy body often have confusion and memory loss like Alzheimer's; stiffness and gait trouble like Parkinson's; and unique symptoms, including hallucinations and vivid dreams.
Since his diagnosis, Blough, his wife and their two kids have focused on spending more time together. If the new drug improves Blough's odds of being around longer and remembering major life milestones, Jennifer Blough said she's sure her husband will take advantage of it.
"What everybody says is, this is progressive ... it's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse," she said. "So to have a drug come out that gives hope that things may turn around, he may have more time with us. ... and that's precious."
