A Review of the pharmacological treatments of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible, neurodegenerative disease that has haunted millions of lives globally. This article briefly reviews the diagnosis and pathophysiology behind AD while focusing on the currently approved and potential pharmacological treatments for AD. Cholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA receptor antagonists have been the most widely used drug to treat AD for decades. In 2003, Aducanumab was authorized by the US FDA for market use but not by other countries. Unfortunately, all the drugs mentioned could only ameliorate the clinical syndromes of AD instead of curing the disease and came with various side effects. Research has shown that the clinical progression of AD happens in parallel with the accumulation of amyloid β plaques and the spread of neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. There are many potential drugs under different stages of trials, including β‑secretase inhibitors, γ‑secretase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, tau aggregation inhibitors, and other therapeutic strategies. Although they are still immature to be put into clinical use, we are looking forward that a specific and efficient drug that has fewer side effects for AD will be developed in the future.