Alzheimer’s Disease Management: Current Therapy and Recent Drug Development

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is an age-related central nervous disorder that has created daunting challenges for the treating physicians, the families and the society. Alzheimer’s disease, a leading neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, is a major cause of dementia in the developed and developing countries around the globe. While, there is no definitive cure for Alzheimer’s disease and no treatment is available to reverse or halt its progression. Currently Food Drug Administration approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, new therapeutic approaches, including those more closely targeted to the pathogenesis of the disease, are being developed. This potentially disease-modifying therapeutics includes both beta and gamma secretase inhibitors, cholesterol-lowering drugs, amyloid-beta immunotherapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal modulation and the use of antioxidants. In this current review we summarize the available evidences on the newer therapeutic approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.