Statins Reduce Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease According To New Long-Term Prospective Study

Main Category: Statins
Also Included In: Alzheimer's / Dementia;  Cholesterol;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 21 Oct 2008 - 5:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation (NASDAQ:NYMX) holds U.S. and global patent rights for the use of statin drugs for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including for patients at risk for AD because of vascular-related risk factors or disease. An important new study has found that ongoing statin drug use was associated with a 67% reduction in the risk of AD (Current Alzheimer Research 2008; 5: 416-421). The authors concluded that the "data suggest that statins produce a significant reduction in the risk of AD."

In the study, 2,233 people aged 70 years or older from six U.S. centers were followed for 4 years with annual assessments of cognitive changes. Subjects with suspected cognitive decline were referred for an in-depth evaluation for dementia and AD diagnosis. The study also tracked the use of statin and other cholesterol-lowering agents. Subjects who were taking statin drugs were found to have a statistically significant 67% reduction in the risk of AD.

The study authors also reviewed the other published studies assessing the effect of statin use on later risk of AD in the elderly and noted that 13 out of 15 of these studies had reported reduced risk for AD associated with cholesterol-lowering therapy. They concluded: "Overall, the evidence, with limited exceptions, suggests that statin therapy provides some level of benefit in treating individuals with AD, and prior statin use may reduce the risk of AD later in life."

Statins are widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs with a well-established track record of safety. They have an estimated global market over $25 billion and represent a potential new way of treating or preventing AD. Statin drug use has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of neuropathological changes in the brain of AD (Neurology 2007;69;878-885). AD is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, afflicting an estimated 4.5 million people in the U.S.

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from management's current expectations. The conduct of clinical trials and the development of drug products involve substantial risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from expectations. Promising early results do not ensure that later stage or larger scale clinical trials will be successful or will proceed as expected. Such factors are detailed from time to time in Nymox's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.

Source
Roy Wolvin
Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation