ANKARA

Repurposing existing drugs, including antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines, may offer a promising strategy for combating dementia, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter. 

The study analyzed data from 14 large-scale investigations involving over 130 million individuals, including 1 million dementia cases, according to The Guardian. 

Researchers identified several drugs that could influence dementia risk, although the evidence was not always consistent.

However, the study found promising links between certain medications and a reduced risk of dementia.

One notable finding was that antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines were associated with a decreased dementia risk, lending support to theories that infections may play a role in triggering some cases of the disease.

Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen were also spotlighted for their potential protective effects, as inflammation is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to many diseases.

Ben Underwood from the University of Cambridge stressed the urgency of finding effective treatments, saying: “If we can repurpose already-licensed drugs, we may be able to make them available to patients much faster than developing entirely new medications.”

While these findings are encouraging, experts emphasize that further clinical trials are needed to confirm the results.

Julia Dudley of Alzheimer’s Research UK remarked that it is too early to recommend these drugs for dementia prevention.

Richard Oakley from the Alzheimer’s Society said: “This approach could save millions and drastically cut the time needed to develop effective dementia treatments.”

The study, published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, provides an important foundation for exploring the potential of repurposed drugs in dementia treatment.