Viagra Use May Reduce Risk Of Getting Alzheimer’s By Nearly 70%, Study Suggests
Topline
Utilizing Viagra, identified generically as sildenafil, is related to a considerably decreased threat of creating Alzheimer’s illness, in keeping with new peer-reviewed research printed in Nature Ageing Monday, providing hope the extensively used drug could be repurposed as a remedy for the neurodegenerative situation.
Viagra might assist forestall Alzheimer’s, a examine discovered.
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Key Information
Researchers discovered that utilizing sildenafil was related to a 69% decreased threat of Alzheimer’s illness when accounting for different elements like intercourse, race and age, in keeping with an evaluation of insurance coverage claims information from over seven million individuals within the U.S.
The discovering doesn’t imply the drug is chargeable for the decreased threat of Alzheimer’s, the researchers cautioned, warning different elements could possibly be accountable, together with the likelihood the drug is just prescribed to rich individuals who have decrease possibilities of being recognized with Alzheimer’s.
The researchers mentioned the findings imply sildenafil, generally used to deal with erectile dysfunction and a sort of hypertension, needs to be studied as a attainable remedy for Alzheimer’s.
The researchers had been prompted to look at sildenafil after it scored extremely in a computational examine designed to evaluate how numerous FDA-approved medicine would work together with molecules related to Alzheimer’s.
What We Don’t Know
What brought about the drop in Alzheimer’s. The examine was observational, which means it can’t decide causes and solely establishes an affiliation between sildenafil use and a decrease threat of Alzheimer’s illness. Buoyed by the findings, lead researcher Dr. Feixiong Cheng mentioned the group is planning scientific trials to “take a look at causality and ensure sildenafil’s scientific advantages for Alzheimer’s sufferers.”
Key Background
Viagra’s ascendant journey to grow to be a top-selling drug was an accident. It was initially developed as a coronary heart drug—it dilates blood vessels—although it additionally acted elsewhere within the physique. The negative effects reported in male examine individuals prompted the corporate to see whether or not it may also be used to deal with erectile dysfunction. Its potential as an Alzheimer’s remedy, if confirmed, is promising. Round 5.8 million People dwell with the illness, according to the CDC, and regardless of its prevalence, there is no such thing as a treatment. Its causes should not absolutely understood and there are few therapies. The FDA accepted the primary new remedy for Alzheimer’s in June, Biogen’s Aduhelm. The approval was controversial and divided specialists, lots of whom criticized the drug’s value and questioned the proof supporting its use or whether it even labored. Aduhelm, a monoclonal antibody, targets a protein that teams collectively in plaques within the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers.
Additional Studying
FDA’s Choice On Biogen Alzheimer’s Drug Will Be A Watershed Second For The Company — And The Biotech Business (Forbes)
Viagra’s famously surprising origin story is actually a pretty common way to find new drugs (Quartz)
