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That's based on an analysis of health insurance claim data from over 7.2 million people, in which records showed that claimants who took the medication were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's over the next six years of follow up, compared to matched control patients who didn't use sildenafil. It's important to note that observed associations like this – even on a huge scale – are not the same as proof of a causative effect. ... Nonetheless, the researchers say the correlation shown here – in addition to other indicators in the study – is enough to identify sildenafil as a promising candidate drug for Alzheimer's disease. (Dockrill, 12/6)

Viagra could be a useful treatment against Alzheimer’s disease, according to a US study. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of age-related dementia, affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Despite mounting numbers of cases, however, there is currently no effective treatment. Using a large gene-mapping network, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic integrated genetic and other data to determine which of more than 1,600 Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs could be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. They gave higher scores to drugs that target both amyloid and tau – two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s – compared with drugs that targeted just one or the other. (Gregory, 12/6)

Viagra, also known as sildenafil, was originally designed as a heart drug because of its main action - improving blood flow by relaxing or widening blood vessels. Doctors then discovered it was having a similar effect elsewhere in the body, including the arteries of the penis, and it was developed into a successful treatment for erectile dysfunction. But experts think it could have other uses too. Sildenafil is already used in men and women for a lung condition called pulmonary hypertension. (12/6)

Feixiong Cheng, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic and the lead author of the new study, said it’s unlikely we’d see sildenafil being prescribed just on its own. “As Alzheimer’s is a complex disease caused by many factors, multi-target drugs or combination therapy targeting multiple disease pathways may offer better clinical benefits,” he said. More likely than not, we’d see sildenafil being used in combination with other treatments.

Doctors prescribe sildenafil — popularly known by its brand name, Viagra — to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, which refers to high blood pressure in the lungs. However, several studies in mice, and a few pilot studies in humans, have hinted that sildenafil could also treat Alzheimer’s disease. (Kingsland, 12/7)