While still in early stages of research, Viagra has the potential to cure Alzheimer’s Disease, according to Professor Luke O’Neill.
Viagra was created in 1989 by Pfizer while it was researching a treatment for angina. The drug breaks down nitric oxide, a natural gas in the blood vessels that opens up blood flow.
Pfizer has a large facility based in Ringaskiddy, which has affectionately been called “Viagra Falls”.
The drug has been famous for treating erectile dysfunction, but Prof O’Neill has said a new study by Neurology shows Viagra's potential might extend beyond that.
“In this study of 260,000 men, they followed them for a number of years and a certain percent of the men did develop Alzheimer's,” he told Show Me the Science.
“But they noticed that the men, roughly half, were on Viagra and they noticed the ones on Viagra that were 18% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
“It’s not a huge number, but one in five isn’t bad.
“Even more importantly, what they noticed was the more Viagra a man was on, the less likely it was you would get Alzheimer’s.”
Correlation and causation
The scientists conducting the study themselves noted that so far, this observational study has found a correlation rather than a causal relationship.
“That's a very important thing to remember whenever you read a scientific study, and the conclusions being drawn,” Prof O’Neill said.
Even the small potential for Viagra to treat Alzheimer’s, however, has excited the science world, especially given the severity of the disease.
The power of Viagra
One reason that Viagra treats Alzheimer’s could be that beta amyloid clogs up the hippocampus but is cleared by the drug.
“It was known already that if you increase blood flow into the brain, you clear this stuff up,” Prof O’Neill said.
“It’s a bit like sloshing it out – it's been in shown in animals.”
The next steps to discover the power of Viagra is a clinical trial, according to Prof O’Neill.
It might be a hard journey, but the biochemist believes Alzheimer’s could one day become a treatable disease.
