Drug can curb dementia's delusions

SAN DIEGO, Dec 05 (AP): A drug that curbs delusions in Parkinson's patients did the same for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in a study that was stopped early because the benefit seemed clear.

If regulators agree, the drug could become the first treatment specifically for dementia-related psychosis and the first new medicine for Alzheimer's in nearly two decades.

It targets some of the most troubling symptoms that patients and caregivers face - hallucinations that often lead to anxiety, aggression, and physical and verbal abuse.

Results were disclosed Wednesday at a conference in San Diego.

"This would be a very important advance," said one independent expert, Dr. Howard Fillit, chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.

Although the field is focused on finding a cure for dementia and preventing future cases, "there is a huge unmet need for better treatment".