GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug ‘could have Alzheimer’s benefits’

A GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drug used to treat diabetes could have a positive effect in improving the symptoms of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Rosiglitazone, an anti-diabetes drug marketed in the UK as Avandia, was studied in 511 patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The results, presented at the International Congress of Human Genentics held in Brisbane, Australia, showed that some patients showed signs of improvement after being treated with the drug.

The audience heard how some Alzheimer’s disease patients have a genetic variation that causes them to produce a protein known as ApoE4. This produces fragments that can “poison” cell mitochondria – the energy source of all cells – and especially in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, resulting in the death of neurons.

Commenting on the use of rosiglitazone in such patients, GSK’s Dr Allen Roses was quoted by the Sunday Times of Australia as saying: “We started to do experiments to see if, in fact, we could increase the energy and glucose metabolism in the brain as well as pancreas.”

Although some improvements were observed, larger scale tests are required in order to find out whether or not the drug is a viable option for improving the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

The newspaper reports that some 65 per cent of patients with the genetic profile that causes them to produce ApoE4 could benefit from rosiglitazone.

Avandia is GSK’s second-best selling drug, bringing in sales of 408 million pounds during the second quarter of 2006, which represents an increase of 23 per cent on figures from the year before.

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