People on HIV drugs have ‘substantial’ Alzheimer’s protection: study

People taking drugs for HIV and hepatitis B are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. UVA Health investigators now would like clinical trials to examine the potential of the HIV medications as a means to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

The report was published Thursday in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are antiretroviral drugs used to prevent the HIV virus from replicating inside the body. The researchers found previously that the drugs could stop inflammasomes — proteins that are part of the development of Alzheimer’s disease — from activating. The team wanted to see if people taking NRTIs were less apt to develop Alzheimer’s.