Doctors discover drug already on the market could prevent 1 million new cases of Alzheimers a year

Alzheimer’s affects nearly 7 million Americans, a number that’s expected to spike to 13.9 million by 2060.Given the devastating effects of this incurable disease, the hunt is on for a drug that could help prevent or slow its progression.Now, a new study has found that nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) — a common class of medications for HIV — could dramatically decrease the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disorder.Analyzing data from over 270,000 patients aged 50 and older, researchers observed that the risk of Alzheimer’s decreased by 6% to 13% for each year the patients were on NRTIs.These results are — to say the least — incredibly promising.“It’s estimated that over 10 million people around the world develop Alzheimer’s disease annually,” said Jayakrishna Ambati, founding director of the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Vision Science.“Our results suggest that taking these drugs could prevent approximately 1 million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease every year.”NRTIs are primarily used to prevent HIV from replicating inside the body.Ambati’s team discovered that these drugs also inhibit inflammasomes — immune system components implicated in Alzheimer’s development.The next step would be to test NRTIs in clinical trials, although Ambati noted his team has already devised another drug that is going down that route.“We have also developed a new inflammasome-blocking drug called K9, which is a safer and more effective version of NRTIs,” Ambati said.

“This drug is already in clinical trials for other diseases, and we plan to also test K9 in Alzheimer’s disease.”The study was published last week in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.This finding adds to a growing number of potential Alzheimer’s treatments.A compound found in rosemary and sage — carnosic acid — has been shown to reverse memory loss and reduce brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer’s, bringing their cogn...