Anti-viral therapy in Alzheimer's disease
Brief description of study
This study is being conducted to evaluate if the generic anti-viral medication, valacyclovir, is helpful in treating Alzheimer's disease in patients who have tested positive for antibodies to herpes simplex virus-1 or herpes simplex virus-2 in their blood serum. Over 80% of people above 65 years of age have had herpes virus infection during their lifetimes with persisting serum antibodies (the body's response to a virus) to herpes simplex virus-1 or herpes simplex virus-2. This study will examine the effects of valacyclovir or placebo on everyday cognition (learning, memory, attention, language, and related mental abilities) and function over an 18-month period. In this study, individuals with both Alzheimer's disease and positive test results for serum antibodies for herpes virus are eligible to participate. Valacyclovir has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with herpes simplex virus-1 and herpes simplex virus-2, but it is not approved to treat Alzheimer's disease. For this reason, its use in this study is considered experimental.
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