Drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease - Alzheimer's SocietyNo drug treatments can provide a cure for Alzheimer s disease. However, drug treatments have been developed that can improve symptoms, or temporarily slow down their progression, in some people. This factsheet explains how the main drug treatments for Alzheimer s disease work, clarifies their availability, and sets out the most recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on their usage. (For more information about Alzheimer s disease, see Factsheet 401, What is Alzheimer s disease?)The acetylcholinesterase inhibitors were developed specifically to treat Alzheimer s disease. We do not yet know whether they can be helpful for people with other forms of dementia, although there is evidence that they may be effective in dementia with Lewy bodies and dementia related to Parkinson s disease. One of the cholinesterase inhibitors, Exelon, is licensed for the treatment of dementia associated with Parkinson s disease, but use as an NHS treatment has not yet been considered by NICE. (See Factsheets 403, What is dementia with Lewy bodies?, and 442, Rarer causes of dementia.
