Painkillers may help to reverse Alzheimer’s
The research team notes that mefenamic acid is already on the market and the side effects are already known. As such, if the drug proves successful for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, its approval process should be shorter. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Alzheimer’s disease is one of such kind. It is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour.
- Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
We all know that the current array of diseases affecting us is on the shift from communicable to non-communicable diseases and that also includes neurodegenerative diseases.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of such kind. It is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour.
Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of the dementia cases. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging although the greatest known risk factor is advancing age and majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older.
Findings
Researchers around the globe have been since trying to find out new ways to treat such a dismantling condition. But a new recent research has shown that the answer may be in a common painkiller we have in our markets.
Mefenamic acid, the most common painkiller used for treating menstrual cramping pain might be the answer to this problem, claim researchers.
Mefenamic acid is a member of the anthranilic acid derivatives (or fenamate) class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
It was discovered and brought to market by Parke-Davis in the 1960s. It became generic in the 1980s and is available worldwide under many brand names.
In a study published by the ‘Nature Communications’ journal, researchers reveal how the drug reversed memory loss in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease by reducing brain inflammation.
Study leader Dr David Brough, of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and his team say their results open the door to trials in humans with the disease.
Around 46.8 million persons worldwide aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, it is expected that more and more will have the condition, unless new, more effective treatments are identified.
Of course, developing a new drug from the ground up takes time; it can take at least a decade for a new medication to reach the market, with clinical trials alone taking an average of 6-7 years.
As such, researchers are increasingly focusing on identifying other possible uses for existing medications, which can dramatically shorten the approval process.
Now, Dr Brough and his team believe they may be on the way to achieving such a feat, after finding the drug mefenamic acid may hold potential for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s were treated with doses of mefenamic acid for one month, and their memory loss and brain inflammation completely cleared up.
“There is experimental evidence now to strongly suggest that inflammation in the brain makes Alzheimer’s disease worse,” they add.
The researchers admit that much more work is needed to determine whether mefenamic acid may be an effective treatment for humans with Alzheimer’s disease, but they are encouraged by their findings.
They are now in the process of completing applications for early phase II trials of mefenamic acid for Alzheimer’s, which they hope will provide proof-of-concept that the drug reverses memory loss by targeting inflammation.
The team notes that mefenamic acid is already on the market and the side effects are already known. As such, if the drug proves successful for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, its approval process should be shorter.
Dr Doug Brown, director of research and development at the United Kingdom’s Alzheimer’s Society, hails the team’s findings as “promising,” but stresses that mefenamic acid should not yet be used for Alzheimer’s.
Pharmacist’s verdict
If the same treatment can be translated to humans – although that’s a big ‘if’ – then we could have a promising new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease on our hands.
Given the fact that the drug is already in the market, we could have a shortcut in its approval, saving almost 10 to 15 years. And those years could be crucial for the 40 plus million people across the world currently suffering from Alzheimer’s or a related form of dementia.
Let us all hope more research is done to conclude this good progress on which our fellow friends in UK have come up with.
The author is a pharmacist based in Dar es Salaam.
