An American research found estrogen drug raloxifene had no significant effects on elderly women with mild to moderate dementia. The team of researchers looked into 42 women with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease between 2006 and 2009. The women ranged between 68 and 84 years old and were recruited across the United States (U.S.).
The women were divided into two groups through random selection. One group took raloxifene while the other took a placebo pill for one whole year. The women's mental functions, particularly memory, were tested at the beginning of the study. Every three months, the women undergo the same thinking and memory tests.
Researchers found no significant difference in the test scores of the two groups. There were also no substantial variance in how the women in two groups perform daily activities and routines, including dressing themselves.
Study author Dr. Victor Henderson said they found no effect but due to the small size of the study, only 21 women took the raloxifene drug, the small effect of the drug cannot be excluded. The findings don't suggest that drugs similar to raloxifene have no effect on memory and thinking.
"We found that the drug did not have any significant effect on patients after one year. If there are cognitive effects in this population, these effects are likely to be no more than small. These results may be valuable if future trials of raloxifene are considered," said Henderson in a press release and noted that prior to this small study, the drug had never been tested as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's Association's senior director of medical and scientific operations Heather Snyder added that scientists are still in the process of understanding the biological and genetic reasons for Alzheimer's, particularly the hormonal pathways involved in the development of the illness.
"What this study shows is that in this population, they don't see a big benefit. I think there are a lot of things we don't understand about the underlying biology and the role of these different pathways for Alzheimer's disease," said Snyder.
Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) type of drug which mimics estrogen in several parts of the body. However, in the breasts and uterus, raloxifene becomes an estrogen blocker. After menopause, the drug is used for bone loss prevention.
The National Institutes of Health supported the small study. American global pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly and Company, provided the raloxifene drug and its placebo counterpart.
The researchers published their findings in Neurology on Nov. 4, 2015. Neurology is the American Academy of Neurology's medical journal.
