A £7 pill used to treat HIV could cure Alzheimer's, according to new research. The medication clears rogue proteins in the brain - preventing dangerous build-up and slowing progression of the disease, scientists said.
Results are encouraging as Maraviroc - sold under the brand name Selzentry - is already prescribed to patients with the Aids virus, researchers said. It is hoped repurposing the medication will reverse memory loss in older people.
Professor David Rubinsztein, a senior study author of the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cambridge University, said: "We're very excited about these findings. We've not just found a new mechanism of how our microglia hasten neurodegeneration, we've also shown this can be interrupted, potentially even with an existing, safe treatment."
