Can the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil help stave off Alzheimer’s disease? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Examining the medical records of more than 265,000 men has revealed that those who took the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil experienced a reduced rate of Alzheimer’s disease in comparison to those who did not. Lolita Nidadavolu, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins and co-author of an editorial on the study, says if this finding is validated it could help many.

Nidadavolu: The FDA has already approved sildenafil or Viagra and other associated drugs in that class and they've been in use by the public for many years, so we have a pretty good handle on their safety profiles. And so to be able to find other populations besides men with the erectile dysfunction that can benefit from it would be a great benefit to more individuals. especially to help with cognition.    :26

Nidadavolu says repurposing drugs is a very attractive strategy since it brings new treatments quickly by avoiding many clinical trials. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.