Advancements in medicine have absolutely changed the way we live right now, both in terms of quality of life and life expectancy. For 69 years, from 1950 to 2019, global life expectancy has continued to improve as incredible breakthroughs have been achieved in the medical world. However, a significant decline was witnessed in the last couple of years, especially in the United States, wiping out nearly a decade of gains across the world. The reason of course, was the Covid-19 pandemic which has so far resulted in nearly 7 million deaths. Of course, the life expectancy decline would have been much more significant had it not been for some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, which came up with viable vaccines in record time, allowing for billions of doses to be administered worldwide, and resulting in the World Health Organization declaring in 2023 that Covid-19 was no longer a global health emergency.
10 Dementia Medications that are Approved or in Clinical Trials
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One of the areas of focus for medicine has been, for many decades, dementia. While dementia is not a specific disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it refers to "a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. [...] Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging." The statistics for dementia are sobering; an estimate 5 million dementia patients lived in 2014 in the U.S. and by 2060, this number is expected to surge to 14 million.
Worldwide, there are over 44 million dementia patients currently. While the disease is much more common in older patients, it isn't a typical sign of aging, which means that for many aging people, there are no signs of dementia present, as opposed to say, weakening muscles or bones or age-related memory issues, which are present in the vast majority of our aging population.
One of the reasons the number of patients with dementia is expected to increase is because our life expectancy is continuously increasing. Barring the outlier impact of Covid-19, this trend is expected to continue in the near future, which means a greater percentage of the total population will be aging, and while dementia is not a direct result of aging, it is more common in older adults. Declining birth rates across many countries have also resulted in a higher concentration of older adults, such as in Japan. Dementia is also more likely to develop in those who have a family history such as parents or siblings who have had dementia, while even race plays a major role in this, with African Americans twice more likely to develop dementia as opposed to white, while Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than whites.
Many major companies including Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY), are investing a huge amount of resources in dementia research, specifically for Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cause of dementia. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there are currently 143 drugs in 172 clinical trials for treating Alzheimer's disease, which includes 31 agents in 47 trials in Phase 3, with disease-modifying therapies representing the bulk of total drugs in trial, at over 80%. This shows that the biggest pharma companies are taking the treatment of dementia very seriously, as it represents a potentially huge market, and companies which come up with successful solutions will be in the ascendancy to reap benefits from profits.
As mentioned earlier, Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) is one of the companies that is working on treating patients with Alzheimer's disease. According to tits website: "Driven by our commitment to patients and our strong business foundation, Biogen remains dedicated to furthering Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment, aiming to help address the unmet needs in this devastating condition, with an emphasis on early-stage disease." Thus it comes as no surprise that it is one of the companies developing dementia medications that are approved or in clinical trials.
To determine dementia medications that are approved or in clinical trials, we headed over to the US Food and Drug Administration website for more information on clinical trials for drugs treating dementia or Alzheimer's disease. We also selected drugs which already exist and have received requisite approval previously, with additional data gatherer from the National Health Service. It is important to remember that there is currently no cure for dementia, which is why these drugs are only relevant for treating different types of symptoms and ailments that dementia causes. So, let's now take a look at the drugs which will hopefully relegate dementia to a nuisance rather than a life altering issue, and the companies working to make this happen, starting with:
10. Rexulti
While Rexulti is primarily used for the treatment of depression, it is also used to treat agitation caused by dementia that may happen as a result of Alzheimer's disease. Side effects of taking the medication include dizziness, symptoms of the common cold, weight gain, and sleepiness.
9. Risperidal
Risperidone is sold under the brand name Risperdal, whose primary use is an anti-psychotic in the treatment of schizophrenia, is also used to treat some symptoms for patients with dementia, and is owned by the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Jannsen Pharmacueticals. In 2012, the company settled in 36 states against allegations relating to its marketing practices for the drug, costing the company approximately $181 million.
8. Memantine
Memantine is used to treat one of the most debilitating symptoms of dementia, memory loss. Used in the treatment of patients with moderate or severe Alzheimer's disease, and was first produced by Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) in 1968, initially as an anti-diabetic medication. One of the main provider of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of the drug is Reddy's Laboratories.
7. Razadyne
Galantamine, sold under the brand name Razadyne, is used to treat patients with mild to moderate dementia. According to the FDA, the drug is manufactured by one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
6. Exelon
Rivastigmine is sold under the brand name Exelon, and is used in the treatment of patients who have to deal with mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's dementia, and has been proven to be adept at controlling symptoms. None of the dementia medications that are approved or in trial currently cure dementia, but they do tend to treat the symptoms, to improve the quality of life of patients.
