Overview
- A University of Exeter–led panel reviewed 80 licensed medicines and shortlisted three, with findings published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy.
- The shingles vaccine Zostavax was judged the most promising option, and investigators aim to launch a large clinical trial in the UK.
- Sildenafil (Viagra) showed preclinical signs of neuroprotection, reduced tau protein accumulation, and improved cognition in mice likely linked to increased cerebral blood flow.
- Riluzole, a motor neurone disease treatment, produced tau-lowering and cognitive benefits in animal studies, prompting calls for further testing.
- Study authors including Anne Corbett and the Alzheimer’s Society stress that robust randomized trials are required before any NHS use, though positive results could enable faster adoption for about one million people living with dementia in the UK.