Daffodil drug helps to fight dementia

An Alzheimer's drug derived from daffodils can also improve memory and behaviour in people suffering from dementia caused by strokes, researchers say.

A six-month study of galantamine, produced by Johnson & Johnson under the brand name Reminyl, showed it is an effective treatment for cerebrovascular disease, estimated to be a cause or contributing factor for one in every four cases of dementia.

"In the past, there has been no treatment with documented efficacy for these individuals. As a result they often went untreated," said Timo Erkinjuntti, of Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland.

"Research such as this offers persuasive evidence that dementia patients can be helped, even when cerebrovascular disease - usually one or more strokes - is present," he added in a statement.

Last year Johnson & Johnson said it would file for a new indication of galantamine for treating vascular dementia, which develops after blood clots block small blood vessels in the brain and destroy brain tissue.

In research reported in the Lancet medical journal, Dr Erkinjuntti tested the drug on 600 patients. He said 75 per cent of people treated with the drug remained stable, or improved after six months compared with 54 per cent who were given a placebo.

The drug also improved patients' ability to think and remember and they were better able to perform daily activities such as bathing, dressing and housework. Delusion, agitation and anxiety lessened.

The researchers said nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia and diarrhoea were the most frequent side-effects but they were generally mild and short-lived.

CVD occurs in about 10 to 20 per cent of people with Alzheimer's disease. In others it is the main cause of memory and intellectual decline.

"It can be very difficult to differentiate between mixed and vascular dementia, so a treatment that can potentially benefit patients with either type of disorder would have great value," Erkinjuntti said.

An estimated 37 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer's disease the most common type.

- REUTERS

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