|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Diabetes Drug Shows Promise in Treating Alzheimer’s
In
small study treatment appeared to reduce Alzheimer’s progression
July 17, 2006 – It’s a small study but the results
are intriguing – the possibility that a drug approved by the Food and
Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes may also help people with
Alzheimer’s disease to better hold on to memory and brain function over
a longer period of time.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Alzheimer's Dementia Drug Approved for Parkinson's
Dementia
Exelon gains FDA approval as first to treat this
dementia
June 28, 2006 – Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate), a
drug already used to treat mild-to-moderate dementia associated with
Alzheimer's disease, got the nod yesterday from the Food and Drug
Administration to become the first medication available for the
treatment of this condition when associated with Parkinson's disease.
Read more...
Alzheimer's May Be Prevented by Less
Carbohydrates, Triggering Longevity Activity in Brain
June 15, 2006 –
Read
more....
Alzheimer’s Association Launches New Web Tool to
Help Find Best Care Options
June 14, 2006 -
Read more...
A Sweet Solution to Alzheimer's Disease?
Sugar restored
cognitive ability, returned mice to live normal lives
June 13, 2006 -
Read
more...
Senior News on Alzheimer's, Dementia
Alzheimer's Vaccine that Restores Memory in Mice
Revealed by Researchers
May 31, 2006 –
Read more...
Read more
on
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health |
|
Treatment of high blood sugar may have a scientific
connection to memory loss that could, one day, benefit millions of
people with Alzheimer’s, according to research at the Univeristy of
Virginia Health System and Case Western Reserve University.
Alzheimer’s affects up to 4.5 million older
Americans, bringing with it impaired thinking and memory.
“We believe that the drug may reduce the body’s
inflammatory reaction to one of the toxic components that builds up in
Alzheimer’s, called amyloid plaque,” said Dr. David Geldmacher, an
associate professor of neurology at UVa.
The drug, called pioglitazone HCl, was tested in a
placebo-controlled trial involving 25 people with mild to moderate
Alzheimer’s. The study assessed the safety of the drug and, although the
treatment appeared to reduce Alzheimer’s progression, the study was too
small for investigators to be sure of the effects on memory and everyday
abilities. However, the findings are promising enough, researchers say,
to carry out larger studies of pioglitazone.
The research was presented July 16 to the world’s
largest Alzheimer’s conference, ICAD 2006, in Madrid, Spain. It was
selected by ICAD organizers to be highlighted because of a growing sense
of the relationship between diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
“We don’t know exactly how pioglitazone works in
Alzheimer’s, but there are two possibilities,” Geldmacher said. “It
could be that the drug reduces the body’s response to the amyloid
protein found in Alzheimer’s. Or, it could be that this drug helps brain
cells function. The real advantage is that it’s a completely novel
approach to treating the disease.”
In the next few years, Geldmacher and his
colleagues hope to study the effectiveness of pioglitazone in a group of
200 to 300 Alzheimer’s patients nationwide.
“If it works, this treatment might allow people to
better hold on to memory and brain function over a period of time,
despite having Alzheimer’s,” Geldmacher said.
“It could also complement other treatments and
become part of a multi-pronged approach to Alzheimer’s treatment.”
Right now, there are 5 drugs approved by the FDA to
treat Alzheimer’s, Geldmacher said, but pioglitazone is unrelated to any
of the others. The trial of pioglitazone at UVa and Case Western Reserve
was supported by the National Institutes of Health and Takeda
Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., which manufactures the drug.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
