What to read after Global Clinical Trials for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Globalization is increasingly common as a means of more rapidly recruiting patients, shortening clinical trials, abbreviating clinical development cycle times, and preparing for marketing in non-US markets. Globalization refers to the inclusion of trial sites in three or more international regions. Globalization is common and most drug development programs include both US and non-US sites. There has been limited evaluation of the transnational performance of clinical trial instrumentation used in drug development programs. The performance across nations, languages and cultures of the ADAS-Cog, Clinical Dementia Rating, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, quality of life measures, pharmacoeconomic measures, and activities of daily living tools has been inadequately researched. The creation of a library of well-tested and shared instruments would be of value in globalized trials. The approach to diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease may vary across trial sites and create undesirable heterogeneity within clinical trials. Biological factors such as differences in liver metabolism enzymes, diet, education and head size may all create differences in treatment response in different ethnic settings. Sites across the globe may differ in terms of experience, and institutional review boards may also perform variably with regard to informed consent and human safety. These require vigilance by sponsors performing globalized trials. International efforts such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative provide data that will help reduce the variance and improve clinical trial quality. Improved understanding of the effects of globalization will enhance clinical trials and speed the development of new medications for patients with AD.