Combination treatment for Alzheimer's Disease
Using testosterone and Vitamin E in combination to achieve a synergistic effect in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease
The market for Alzheimer's disease (AD) drugs is estimated to grow at 15% annually and reach $5.5 billion by 2009. However, currently marketed drugs such acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, memantine only treat disease symptoms without targeting underlying degeneration of neuronal cells. Therefore, new disease modifying treatments are urgently needed.
One mechanism proposed to contribute to AD is the age related imbalances in hormone levels. Similar to a decline in oestrogen levels during menopause, reduced levels of testosterone during andropause have been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Reduced testosterone levels have also been shown to promote the accumulation of beta amyloid (A), a protein implicated in neurotoxicity and neuronal death.
In collaboration with Lawley Pharmaceutical Ltd, Professor Ralph Martins and his team at the WA Centre of Excellence in Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care have found that testosterone replacement therapy lowers the levels of A in an animal model of late onset AD and in a human pilot study.
Whilst studies on the effects of testosterone and Vitamin E in isolation have not revealed a clinically significant effect, ECU's research suggests that in combination these two treatments would have a synergistic effect on the level of A production and levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. This work has led to a pharmaceutical composition, comprising testosterone and vitamin E for the treatment of AD. Intellectual property is being sought in parallel with the work progressing.