Drug for weight loss ‘helps in slowing dementia’
A DIABETES and weightloss medicine could help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study,
Liraglutide, taken as an injection once a day, is used to help people lose weight and can also be prescribed for diabetes.
New research has suggested that the drug, sold under the brand Saxenda, may bring further “neuroprotective” benefits.
The trial, which has been presented to the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in the US, suggests that liraglutide can reduce shrinking in the parts of the brain that control memory, learning, language and decisionmaking by nearly half after a year of treatment compared to a dummy drug, also known as a placebo.
Researchers, led by experts from Imperial College London, said that after 12 months of treatment, the drug appeared to reduce cognitive decline by as much as 18%.
Some 204 patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease from across the UK were involved in the study.
All of the people who took part were given a daily injection - half received a placebo and half were given 1.8mg of liraglutide, which is manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
They received a number of examinations – including brain scans and memory tests – at the start of the study and again a year later.
Those who received liraglutide had nearly
50% less volume loss in several areas of the brain which are often affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Cognitive tests examining memory, comprehension, language and spatial orientation revealed that those who took the drug had a “statistically significant slowing of cognitive decline” after a year compared to those who had the placebo drug.