Ibuprofen Linked to Reduced Alzheimer's Risk
By Amanda Gardner HealthDay Reporter
May 5 (HealthDay News) -- People who use the painkiller
ibuprofen regularly for five years may be less likely to
develop Alzheimer’s disease as they age, a new study
suggests.
And more generally, people using the class of drugs
known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
may have a decreased risk for Alzheimer’s as well, although
the link here is not as clear-cut as it is for ibuprofen.
But the findings don’t put to rest a debate that has long
simmered about the role of NSAIDs in the prevention or
treatment of Alzheimer’s, given the gastrointestinal side
effects associated with long-term use of this class of
painkillers.
“This discussion has been going on for a while,” said
William Thies, vice president of medical and scientific
relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. “This trial is big
enough and the results are good enough that it may reopen
the debate -- that we should do a prevention study with
these medications.”
But at this point, the conclusions aren’t firm enough to
start taking ibuprofen or any other NSAID to help ward off
dementia, he said.
“Probably people shouldn’t be taking these medications
just to prevent Alzheimer’s. The effect is too uncertain and
the side effects are pretty well known,” Thies said. “For
those people who won't listen to this advice, they should be
really careful to fill in their physician so he can track it with
other medications.”
Dr. Steven Vlad, lead author of the study and a fellow in
rheumatology at Boston University School of Medicine,
agreed, saying: “The big issue is that ibuprofen looks like it
prevents Alzheimer’s but all these drugs have well-known
side effects and significant side effects, so the risk-benefit
ratio is not clear at this point. Patients shouldn't go on
ibuprofen to prevent Alzheimer’s.”
The findings are published in the May 6 issue of
Neurology.
Pfizer's Lipitor® Failed to Slow Alzheimer's
Disease in Study
By Michelle Fay Cortez and Elizabeth Lopatto
April 17 (Bloomberg) -- Pfizer Inc’s best-selling cholesterol
drug Lipitor failed to slow mental and physical worsening in
patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a study found.
The results clash with previous research that showed high
cholesterol raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, an
inexorable loss of memory and function that affects 4.5 million
Americans. The study of 640 patients, the largest ever
on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs for the condition,
found patients fared the same whether they got Lipitor or
placebo.
Pfizer, which funded the study presented at the American
Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Chicago, is
looking for ways to expand Lipitor’s use as competing medications
lost patent protection. Lipitor accounts for about
40 percent of Pfizer’s profits and its sales slid 7 percent to
$3.1 billion in the first quarter, the company said.
The study “did not demonstrate significant benefits on the
symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease,” said
Howard Feldman, who helped guide the study and is head
of neurology at the University of British Columbia Hospital
in Canada. “There are some noteworthy findings that
require further analysis and should inform further research
to determine the potential for statin use in this population.”
Patients in the 18 month study received Aricept, New
York-based Pfizer’s Alzheimer’s drug, in addition to either
Lipitor or a matching placebo. There were no differences
between the groups in the ability to think and reason by the
end of the trial. Mental, behavioral and physical
abilities were all similar, the researchers said.
Analysis in Men
After the study was completed, an unplanned analysis
suggested men getting Lipitor may have had a slower rate
of decline, the researchers said. Those results must be
confirmed with additional trials. In addition, imaging scans
of the brain suggested less shrinking in the hippocampus,
previously considered an indicator of worsening disease.
Pfizer said it is not planning additional studies of Lipitor
in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
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