Research Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics

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Current Therapeutic Strategies for Alzheimer's Disease: A Lost Direction or a Hope Remains?


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1 Dept. of Pharmacology, Govt. College of Pharmacy, Rohru (Distt. Shimla) Himachal Pradesh-171207, India
     

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At present a handful of FDA approved drugs are commercially available to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among these are either Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors or N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists. These are only temporary and palliative solutions as these drugs do not stop progression of the disease but also are associated with severe side effects. Clearly, the search for more potent and efficacious drugs for the treatment of AD is one of the most pressing pharmacological goals, and many more drugs are either in clinical trials or are being tested in laboratories around the world, both in academia and industry. In this text, we will review and compare aforementioned five drugs with several other molecules that are currently in use or being developed and are ready to go into clinical trials. These will include antioxidants, metal chelators, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as other AChE and NMDA inhibitors. In addition, failure of these drugs and side effect will also be discussed.

Keywords

Alzheimer's Disease, Amyloid, Acetylcholine, MAO.
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  • Current Therapeutic Strategies for Alzheimer's Disease: A Lost Direction or a Hope Remains?

Abstract Views: 315  |  PDF Views: 2

Authors

Vivek Kumar Sharma
Dept. of Pharmacology, Govt. College of Pharmacy, Rohru (Distt. Shimla) Himachal Pradesh-171207, India

Abstract


At present a handful of FDA approved drugs are commercially available to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among these are either Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors or N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists. These are only temporary and palliative solutions as these drugs do not stop progression of the disease but also are associated with severe side effects. Clearly, the search for more potent and efficacious drugs for the treatment of AD is one of the most pressing pharmacological goals, and many more drugs are either in clinical trials or are being tested in laboratories around the world, both in academia and industry. In this text, we will review and compare aforementioned five drugs with several other molecules that are currently in use or being developed and are ready to go into clinical trials. These will include antioxidants, metal chelators, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as other AChE and NMDA inhibitors. In addition, failure of these drugs and side effect will also be discussed.

Keywords


Alzheimer's Disease, Amyloid, Acetylcholine, MAO.

References