Seroquel makes dementia symptoms worse in Alzheimer’s patients, study finds

• An antipsychotic drug frequently given to Alzheimer's patients actually worsens their illness, researchers say.
• Patients given AstraZeneca Seroquel had a marked deterioration of memory and other higher brain functions compared to those on placebo, according to Professor Clive Ballard of the Institute of Psychiatry and colleagues.
• AstraZeneca, Europe's third largest drugmaker, disputed the findings.
• Drugs such as Seroquel, which was originally developed to tackle schizophrenia, are increasingly used to treat the personality changes and aggression often associated with Alzheimer's disease.
• They are not approved by regulators for dementia but are often prescribed by doctors on an "off-label" basis for patients who develop serious behavioural problems.
• In one form or another, antipsychotics are used in up to 45 percent of British nursing homes, experts estimate.
• "It's a big potential threat to patient health," Ballard told Reuters on Friday.
• There have been concerns that the two most commonly used antipyschotics, Eli Lilly and Co's Zyprexa and Johnson & Johnson's Risperdal, may increase the risk of stroke -- something British healthcare regulators warned about last year.
• His team studied 93 patients with dementia in the northeast of England over six months and found those taking Seroquel experienced a doubling in cognitive decline compared with patients given a dummy pill.
• Those taking another antipyschotic in the trial, Novartis AG's Exelon, showed no worsening of their illness -- but no improvement above the placebo group.
• Seroquel -- sales of which jumped 33 percent last year to $2 billion (1.1 billion pounds) -- is a key revenue driver for Europe's third largest drugmaker, especially following a series of setbacks with newer drugs.
• The company has been investigating expanding Seroquel's use into Alzheimer's, following tests suggesting it reduced agitation in dementia patients without risk of cerebrovascular problems.