Three patients treated with an experimental Bristol-Myers Squibb Alzheimer’s drug have developed a type of brain swelling known as vasogenic edema, but the side effect may be common in Alzheimer’s patients, researchers said on Monday. Vasogenic edema may even be a sign that drugs are clearing a protein tied to Alzheimer’s from the brain, researchers said at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Paris. The results could have bearing on the closely watched drug bapineuzumab, being developed by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Vasogenic edema became a major concern after a 2008 mid-stage study of 240 patients on bapineuzumab found a dozen cases.
