subject: What New Drugs Are Being Researched For The Treatment Of Alzheimers? [print this page] Alzheimers disease is both the most common and possibly the worst form of dementia, with sufferers memories slowly deteriorating over time. The disease was first discovered by Alois Alzheimer, hence its name, in 1906 and, to this day, there is no ultimate cure for it. Alzheimers is an incredibly common disease and affects an inordinate amount of people, with statistics reflecting that from recent studies suggesting that as many as 1 in 85 could suffer from it all over the world by the year 2050.
It can be heart breaking to see a friend or loved one slowly losing themselves to this type of dementia, and it is also frustrating to think that there is no cure for it. Scientists and medical researchers are constantly seeking a cure though, and new advances are being made every day in the hope that, soon, there will be a complete cure for this disease.
At current, treatments for Alzheimers can go some way to giving patients a good quality of life. A recent study conducted at the University of Manchester has shown that an antiviral drug that is usually used in the treatment of herpes could be effective in slowing the diseases progression. This treatment is not yet available to patients as the drug development process is still on-going, but preliminary research results have been very promising.
Other drug discovery research has revealed new ways in which Alzheimers and early onset Alzheimers can be diagnosed earlier. For instance, researchers from the University of Bristol have been attempting to uncover whether hypertension drugs that are already in existence could actually help to stop the occurrence of Alzheimers and vascular dementia, another form of dementia.
This research has shown that people over the age of 60 that have taken drugs similar to these in their lifetime can have up to a 50 per cent lowered risk of developing Alzheimers, which is an incredible discovery. It also showed that there was just a 25 per cent of developing vascular dementia after taking the hypertension drugs.
This information and other Alzheimers drug development programmes that are currently in progress are at the forefront of uncovering a cure or prevention for the disease, which could save a large number of people every year.
All of this research wouldnt be possible without the important medical databases that these scientists use though, as they are able to use past research to aid with their own. To find out more about Alzheimers drug testing and current medicinal chemistry look online now.
