News highlights

Dementia drugs 'double death risk'

09 Jan 2009, PR 04/09

New research by King’s neuroscientist Professor Clive Ballard into the effects of antipsychotic drugs commonly prescribed to Alzheimer’s patients concludes that the medication nearly doubles risk of death over three years. The study, funded by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, is published in Lancet Neurology today.

Alzheimer’s Research Trust press release

The study involved 165 Alzheimer’s patients in care homes who were being prescribed antipsychotics. 83 continued treatment and the remaining 82 had it withdrawn and were instead given oral placebos.

Findings showed a significant increase in risk of death for patients who continued taking antipsychotic medication. The difference between the two groups became more pronounced over time, with 24-month survival rates for antipsychotic-treated patients falling to 46% versus 71% on the placebo and at 36 months it was 30% versus 59%. It means that after three years, less than a third of people on antipsychotics were alive compared to nearly two thirds using the dummy drug.

Antipsychotics are used to treat symptoms of agitation, delusions and aggressive behaviour. NICE guidelines recommend that the drugs should only be used for short periods of time and where symptoms are severe, and should be very carefully monitored, although in clinical practice the average length of prescription is 1-2 years. While there is evidence of modest short-term (6-12 weeks) benefits of antipsychotic treatment for the serious behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer’s, a previous Alzheimer’s Research Trust study showed that these benefits were not evident over longer periods of treatment.

As many as 100,000 people with dementia are routinely prescribed antipsychotics in UK care homes. It could mean 23,500 people dying prematurely, according to a 2008 report by Paul Burstow MP.

Professor Clive Ballard, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases said: ‘The results further highlight the need to seek less harmful alternatives for the long-term treatment of behavioural symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients. At the moment, there is still a limited place for antipsychotics in the treatment of Alzheimer’s, particularly severe aggression, but the serious concerns of the drugs shown by our research emphasise the urgent need to put an end to unnecessary and prolonged prescribing.’

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: ‘The findings of this research are a real wake-up call and underline the danger of prescribing antipsychotics long-term for anything other than exceptional circumstances. We must avoid the use of these drugs as a potentially dangerous ‘chemical cosh’ to patients who would be better off without it. The study also highlights the urgent need to develop better treatments as Alzheimer’s patients have few options available to them.

‘700,000 people in the UK have dementia; we urgently need to fund more research to develop the new treatments we so desperately need.’

Notes to editors

King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has 19,700 students from more than 150 countries, and 5,400 employees. King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 60 per cent of research activity at King’s was deemed world-leading or internationally excellent. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of approximately £450 million. An investment of £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.

King’s has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to more Medical Research Council Centres than any other university.

King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas, King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are working together to create a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC). Our AHSC brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity. For more information, visit www.londonsahsc.org

Alzheimer's Research Trust
The Alzheimer's Research Trust is the UK's leading research charity for dementia. They are dedicated to funding scientific studies to find ways to treat, cure or prevent Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy Body disease and fronto-temporal dementia. They provide free information to the public on dementia and treatments available: phone 01223 843 899 or visit http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/

Further information
Kate Moore, Public Relations Officer (Health Schools)
Public Relations Department, King's College London
Email: kate.moore@kcl.ac.uk, Tel: 020 7848 4334

Alzheimer's Research Trust press office
Tel: 01223 843 304 Email: press@alzheimers-research.org.uk
Out of hours: 07748 272 171 and 07721 640 546

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