‘Repurposing’ current drugs to tackle dementia an ‘urgent priority’ – experts
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More must be done to see whether existing drugs could help to tackle dementia, scientists have said after finding that a number of common treatments may affect a person’s risk. While some new drugs are coming online to treat dementia, researchers say there is a need to see whether drugs that are currently used for other ailments could be used to alter a person’s dementia risk.
“Understanding whether drugs in current use could be re-purposed for use in dementia is an urgent priority,” academics from the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter said after conducting a review to discover any potential treatment candidates.
They found that some vaccines, anti-inflammatory medicines and antibiotics are linked to reduced dementia risk. Researchers set out to examine all studies which have linked commonly used treatments to dementia risk – both increased and decreased risk level.
They analysed data on 14 studies tracking the health of more than 130 million people. Some one million cases of dementia were identified. As well as looking at whether or not people were diagnosed with dementia, the research team also analysed prescription data and identified a number of drugs which appeared to be linked to dementia risk.
Researchers said that overall they found a “lack of consistency” between studies in identifying drugs which may modify a person’s risk of dementia. But they did find some “candidates” which could warrant further studies. Dr Ben Underwood, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We urgently need new treatments to slow the progress of dementia, if not to prevent it.
