A Wake Forest University School of Medicine study reports that two existing medications (empagliflozin (Jardiance), a diabetes drug, and intranasal insulin) could improve brain health in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease. Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, and reported on WorldPharmaNews, this trial is the first to evaluate empagliflozin in non-diabetic Alzheimer’s patients.
Researchers enrolled 47 older adults in a four-week randomized trial comparing intranasal insulin, empagliflozin, both drugs combined, and placebo. Both treatments were safe and well-tolerated, with high compliance rates.
Key Findings:
- Intranasal insulin enhanced cognitive performance, improved white matter integrity, and altered blood flow in memory-related regions. It also lowered GFAP, a marker of astrocyte dysfunction.
- Empagliflozin reduced cerebrospinal fluid tau and other biomarkers linked to Alzheimer’s progression, while improving vascular health and HDL cholesterol levels.
- Both drugs influenced immune and inflammatory pathways, suggesting potential neuroprotective effects.
These results highlight metabolism as a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s, addressing upstream vascular and metabolic issues that current anti-amyloid drugs do not. Because both medications are FDA-approved for other conditions, they could be integrated into treatment strategies more quickly than novel drugs.
The study was supported by the Alzheimer’s Association’s Part the Cloud program, which funds innovative trials aimed at slowing or preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
