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NSAIDs No Help as Alzheimer's Treatment
June 3, 2003 -- Nobody knows whether NSAIDs help prevent Alzheimer's disease. But they don't work as an Alzheimer's treatment.
That's the disappointing news from a clinical study that tested whether Vioxx or naproxen can slow the relentless progress of Alzheimer's disease. The report, by Georgetown University researcher Paul S. Aisen, MD, and colleagues, appears in the June 4 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Aisen's team tested the two drugs in 351 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. They looked for signs that the drugs might slow mental decline or improve quality of life.
There was "no consistent benefit of either treatment," they write.
Traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- NSAIDs -- include naproxen (Aleve and generic brands), aspirin, and ibuprofen. Newer NSAIDs -- the Cox-2 inhibitors -- include Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex.
Why use them in Alzheimer's? There are two very good reasons:
- In Alzheimer's disease, brain tissues become inflamed. NSAIDs fight inflammation.
- The brains of Alzheimer's patients become clogged with a sticky plaque. NSAIDs block production of beta amyloid, a key ingredient in this plaque.
Some studies suggest that people who say they take a lot of NSAIDs don't seem to get Alzheimer's disease as often as others. However, these kinds of studies don't prove anything.
It's still possible that people at high risk of Alzheimer's disease might benefit from taking NSAIDs before they actually develop the disease. But that remains to be seen. For now, it's back to the drawing board as researchers continue the search for effective Alzheimer's treatments.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, June 4, 2003.
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