Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brings impaired thinking and memory, affecting up to 4.5 million older Americans. Treatment of high blood sugar probably has a connection to memory loss that could one day benefit these millions of AD sufferers.
In fact it could really be as a new research at the University of Virginia Health System and Case Western Reserve University found that a drug USFDA approved for type 2 diabetes, pioglitazone HCl, may hold promise in treating Alzheimer's as well, sans the serious side effects.
"We believe that the drug may reduce the body's inflammatory reaction to one of the toxic components that builds up in Alzheimer's, called amyloid plaque, " said Dr. David Geldmacher, an associate professor of neurology at UVa.These findings were presented July 16 at the world’s largest Alzheimer’s conference, ICAD 2006 (Madrid, Spain) and have been highlighted because of the growing sense of the relationship between diabetes and Alzheimer's.
"We don't know exactly how pioglitazone works in Alzheimer's, but there are two possibilities," Geldmacher said. "It could be that the drug reduces the body's response to the amyloid protein found in Alzheimer's.
Or, it could be that this drug helps brain cells function. The real advantage is that it's a completely novel approach to treating the disease."
Pioglitazone HCl is marketed with brand name Actos® and manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co.
Read more at UVa Health System.
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