NeuroEPO in Alzheimer’s disease: clinical evidence and perspectives for Cuban medicine
Keywords:
Intranasal administration; Alzheimer disease; Erythropoietin; NeuroEPO; Neuroprotection.Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the leading causes of dementia and represents a challenge for health systems in the context of population aging. Therapeutic options include symptomatic interventions and, in selected patients, monoclonal antibodies targeting β-amyloid. NeuroEPO is a recombinant human erythropoietin variant with low sialic acid content, developed in Cuba and formulated for intranasal administration. This opinion article analyzes the available evidence on NeuroEPO in Alzheimer’s disease and its perspectives for research and medical practice in Cuba. Its neuroprotective basis, intranasal route, and findings from the ATHENEA clinical trial are examined. The trial included 174 participants with mild-to-moderate clinical Alzheimer’s syndrome; 170 received NeuroEPO plus or placebo for 48 weeks. Differences were observed in ADAS-Cog11 scores and some secondary outcomes compared with placebo. These findings support continued research but do not establish long-term effectiveness or cost-effectiveness. Prolonged follow-up, pharmacovigilance, effectiveness studies, and economic evaluation are required before broader incorporation into routine healthcare can be considered.
Downloads
References
1. Llibre Guerra JJ, et al. Demencias y enfermedad de Alzheimer: un recorrido por la historia. GeroInfo Rev Gerontol Geriatr [Internet]. 2025 [citado 24 Sep 2026];9:e94. Disponible en: https://revgeroinfo.sld.cu/index.php/gerf/article/view/94
2. Jelkmann W. Physiology and pharmacology of erythropoietin. Transfus Med Hemother. 2013;40(5):302-9. doi:10.1159/000356193
3. van Dyck CH, Swanson CJ, Aisen P, Bateman RJ, Chen C, Gee M, et al. Lecanemab in early Alzheimer’s disease. N Engl J Med. 2023;388(1):9-21. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2212948
4. Brines M, Cerami A. Emerging biological roles for erythropoietin in the nervous system. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005;6(6):484-94. doi:10.1038/nrn1687
5. Noguchi CT, Asavaritikrai P, Teng R, Jia Y. Role of erythropoietin in the brain. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2007;64(2):159-71. doi:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2007.03.001
6. Babazadeh M, Sanaie S, Rahnemayan S. Therapeutic and biomarker potential of erythropoietin in neurodegenerative diseases: a systematic review. BMC Neurol. 2026;26(1):127. doi:10.1186/s12883-026-04627-9
7. Hartung T, Freyer D, Zemella A, Radbruch H, Weiner J, El-Din JJ, et al. Non-hematopoietic erythropoietin splice variant is produced in the diseased human brain and confers neuroprotection. Front Cell Neurosci. 2025;19:1677505. doi:10.3389/fncel.2025.1677505
8. Fernández Peña G, Pérez Hernández CL, Fernández Romero T. Protective potential of NeuroEPO: there is still a lot to be explored. Rev Haban Cienc Méd [Internet]. 2022 [citado 24 Sep 2026];21(4):e5000. Disponible en: http://www.revhabanera.sld.cu/index.php/rhab/article/view/5000
9. Shim KH, Ha S, Choung JS, Choi JI, Kim DY, Kim JM, et al. Therapeutic effect of erythropoietin on Alzheimer’s disease by activating the serotonin pathway. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(15):8144. doi:10.3390/ijms23158144
10. Garzón F, Coimbra D, Parcerisas A, Rodríguez Y, García JC, Soriano E, et al. NeuroEPO preserves neurons from glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;65(4):1469-83. doi:10.3233/JAD-180668.
11. Sosa S, Bringas G, Urrutia N, Peñalver AI, López D, González E, et al.; ATHENEA Investigators. NeuroEPO plus (NeuralCIM®) in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s clinical syndrome: the ATHENEA randomized clinical trial. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2023;15(1):215. doi:10.1186/s13195-023-01356-w
12. Tagliamento M, Rijavec E, Barletta G, Biello F, Rossi G, Grossi F, et al. CIMAvax-EGF, a therapeutic non-small cell lung cancer vaccine. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2018;18(7):829-35. doi:10.1080/14712598.2018.1492539
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Luis Carlos Mustelier Mustelier, Roxana Fernández Pelegrino , Yenifer Jiménez Jiménez de Castro
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Los autores/as que publiquen en la revista UNIMED mantienen sus derechos de autor y ceden los derechos de publicación a la revista, su artículo estará simultáneamente sujeto a la Licencia de reconocimiento de Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC 4.0)
Los autores/as no ceden los derechos patrimoniales a la revista UNIMED, ni transfieren sus derechos de autor al editor.
Se permite y recomienda a los autores/as difundir su obra a través de Internet (p. ej.: en archivos telemáticos institucionales o en su página web) antes y durante el proceso de envío, lo cual puede producir intercambios interesantes y aumentar las citas de la obra publicada.
De igual manera podrán establecer acuerdos adicionales para la distribución no exclusiva de la versión de la obra publicada en la revista (por ejemplo, situarlo en un repositorio institucional o publicarlo en un libro), con el reconocimiento de haber sido publicado primero en esta revista.
