A new drug made from pigs' brain cells 'significantly' improves symptoms of a form of dementia that affects more than 100,000 people, a respected review of research has found.
The drug Cerebrolysin is not
currently licensed in the UK and is made from proteins found in pigs
brains Photo:
ALAMY
7:00AM GMT 31 Jan 2013
1 Comment
Patients with vascular dementia, the second most common form of the disease,
showed significant improvements in their thinking and memory after being given
Cerebrolysin, a review of research trials has found.
It would be the first treatment specifically for vascular dementia that is
caused by narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels in the brain.
Around 136,000 people have this form of dementia which is second only to
Alzheimer's.
Symptoms are similar and include particular difficulty with thinking quicmly,
concentrating and communicating and can be accompanied by fits and severe
confusion.
The drug Cerebrolysin is not currently licensed in the UK and is made from
proteins found in pigs brains.
They found it significantly improved thinking abilities on memory, arithmetic
and other scores.
It is thought the longer patients take it the greater the improvement, however there were only two long-term trials.
Researcher, Li He, of the Department of Neurology at Sichuan University in Sichuan, China, said: "Our review suggests that Cerebrolysin can help improve cognitive and global function in patients with mild to moderate severity vascular dementia.
"The results are promising but due to low numbers of trials, inconsistencies between trials, risk of bias in the way some of the trials were conducted and lack of long-term follow-up, we cannot yet recommend Cerebrolysin as a routine treatment for vascular dementia."
There were no serious side effects reported in the trials, indicating the drug was safe.
However Dr He said: "The fact that it has to be given in regular intravenous infusions means it could be impractical for use on a large scale."
The findings were published in the Cochrane Library.
Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Cochrane systematic reviews are an incredibly valuable tool, as they pull together the best available evidence on a particular treatment or intervention.
"This review found that Cerebrolysin does appear to have some cognitive benefits for people with vascular dementia, although it is not clear how these might translate into day-to-day improvements in people’s lives.
"It is positive to see potential new treatments tested in people, but larger clinical trials are needed before we could know whether Cerebrolysin could be a feasible treatment option for people with the condition.
“Vascular dementia affects thousands of people in the UK, but sadly there are no specific treatments available for people with the condition.
"Research into new treatments is absolutely vital, but without continued investment, promising findings cannot be taken forward. We must ensure that research into dementia remains a national priority.”
It is thought the longer patients take it the greater the improvement, however there were only two long-term trials.
Researcher, Li He, of the Department of Neurology at Sichuan University in Sichuan, China, said: "Our review suggests that Cerebrolysin can help improve cognitive and global function in patients with mild to moderate severity vascular dementia.
"The results are promising but due to low numbers of trials, inconsistencies between trials, risk of bias in the way some of the trials were conducted and lack of long-term follow-up, we cannot yet recommend Cerebrolysin as a routine treatment for vascular dementia."
There were no serious side effects reported in the trials, indicating the drug was safe.
However Dr He said: "The fact that it has to be given in regular intravenous infusions means it could be impractical for use on a large scale."
The findings were published in the Cochrane Library.
Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Cochrane systematic reviews are an incredibly valuable tool, as they pull together the best available evidence on a particular treatment or intervention.
"This review found that Cerebrolysin does appear to have some cognitive benefits for people with vascular dementia, although it is not clear how these might translate into day-to-day improvements in people’s lives.
"It is positive to see potential new treatments tested in people, but larger clinical trials are needed before we could know whether Cerebrolysin could be a feasible treatment option for people with the condition.
“Vascular dementia affects thousands of people in the UK, but sadly there are no specific treatments available for people with the condition.
"Research into new treatments is absolutely vital, but without continued investment, promising findings cannot be taken forward. We must ensure that research into dementia remains a national priority.”
