Javier Olazarán, MD, PhD, Gregorio Marañón Hospital, Madrid, Spain, discusses the design and results of AMBAR (NCT01561053), a Phase IIb/III, multicentre, randomized, controlled clinical trial assessing the effects of plasma exchange plus albumin replacement in mild/moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. The co-primary outcomes were the change from the baseline to 14 months in the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) and Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study–Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) scores. Global endpoints included the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-sb) and Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Clinical Global Impression of Change (ADCS-CGIC) scales. Patients treated with plasma exchange showed less decline than placebo based on the ADAS-Cog (p=0.06; 66% less decline) and ADCS-ADL (p=0.03; 52% less decline) scores. In addition, there was 61% less decline in both ADAS-ADL (p=0.002) and ADCS-ADL (p=0.054) scores of treated patients in the moderate AD patient group compared with placebo. As for the global endpoints, all patients treated with plasma exchange showed statistically significant differences and less decline in CDR-sb and ADCS-CGIC scales. Lastly, Dr Olazarán discusses the next steps in the study. This interview took place during the European Academy of Neurology 2021 congress.
