What treatments are available for treating Alzheimer’s disease in a person with Down syndrome?

What treatments are available for treating Alzheimer’s disease in a person with Down syndrome?

There are no specific drugs approved to treat the co-existing conditions of Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. Two drug types are available to treat Alzheimer’s disease -- the cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil [Aricept®], rivastigmine [Exelon®], and galantamine [Razadyne®]) and the NMDA receptor antagonist memantine [Namenda®]. Unfortunately, there is not much evidence to support the use of either class in patients with both conditions. There’s not enough scientific evidence to conclude that the cholinesterase inhibitors are helpful in patients with Down syndrome and memantine has shown no benefit in these patients in a large clinical trial.

Several drugs that target some of the genetic and chemical changes in the brain that occur in people with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease are currently being examined in very early (animal studies) clinical trials. Although scientists are generally encouraged by these early results, many more years of testing will be needed before these drugs may come to market and/or will be recommended for use in these patients.