Potential Preventative Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

SOURCE www.foxnews.com
Researchers have found that an existing drug for HIV, NRTIs, could potentially double as a preventative therapy for Alzheimer’s disease by reducing the risk of developing the common form of dementia. Clinical trials are being called for to further investigate the use of NRTIs in treating Alzheimer’s.

Key Points

  • NRTIs, antivirals for HIV, showed a 10% annual reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s for every year of use
  • Potential for 60,000 fewer cases of Alzheimer’s annually in the US and up to one million globally
  • Repurposing existing drugs like NRTIs can lead to quicker and less expensive studies for new treatments

Pros

  • NRTIs have shown a significant reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
  • Potential to prevent Alzheimer’s by blocking inflammasomes

Cons

  • Findings are based on retrospective health insurance database studies and are not definitive
  • Need for further research and clinical trials to establish causation