Diabetes drug research brings Alzheimer’s hope

A drug developed to tackle diabetes could be used to treat Alzheimer’s after “significantly” reversing memory loss in tests on mice, scientists say.

A so-called “triple receptor drug” created to treat type 2 diabetes also helped reduce the amount of amyloid plaques associated with the degenerative brain disorder, the University of Lancashire team found.

It also slowed the rate of nerve cell loss and increased levels of a chemical that helps the cells function.

The scientists believe the “very promising outcomes”, published in journal Brain Research, could bring new hope to the hundreds of thousands of Britons with Alzheimer’s.