Viagra could reduce the risk of getting Alzheimer's, claim University College London researchers

Men who take drugs for erectile dysfunction may be inadvertently reducing their odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.

Research from University College London (UCL) examined the medical records of 269,725 men aged 40 and over who were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. Just over half (55 per cent) were prescribed drugs like viagra.

Over the following five years, people who took the drugs were found to have an 18 per cent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Lead author Dr Ruth Brauer, from the UCL School of Pharmacy, said: "Although we’re making progress with the new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that work to clear amyloid plaques in the brain for people with early stages of the disease, we desperately need treatments that can prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

"More research is needed to confirm these findings, learn more about the potential benefits and mechanisms of these drugs and look into the optimal dosage. A randomised, controlled trial with both male and female participants is warranted to determine whether these findings would apply to women as well."

Commenting on the study, Dr Leah Mursaleen, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, added: "Developing drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s is a costly process and can take many years. Being able to repurpose drugs already licensed for other health conditions could help accelerate progress and open up new avenues to prevent or treat dementia-causing diseases.

"This research looked at medical records of nearly 270,000 men with erectile dysfunction, and found that those prescribed drugs known as PDE5Is – including common brand name viagra – also appeared to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s. While this is an encouraging finding, it doesn’t yet confirm whether these drugs are directly responsible for reducing Alzheimer’s risk, nor whether they can slow or stop the disease.

"Further research – including clinical trials – will be needed to confirm whether these drugs can indeed play a role in preventing or treating Alzheimer’s. Such studies should also uncover whether these drugs might have effects in other groups, such as women, and men without a diagnosis of erectile function. We also need to understand how this evidence might apply to more diverse populations."