Many studies have shown that taking anti-inflammatory drugs could lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

However, those studies did not confirm that drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen provided cognitive benefits in patients already suffering from dementia.

But recently, Dr. Clive Holmes and his colleagues at the University of Southampton in England reported that weekly injections of the anti-inflammatory arthritis drug etanercept benefited patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s dementia.

The patients who received the injections did not display cognitive decline after six months.

Etanercept is used to treat autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, decreasing blood levels of TNF-alpha, a protein cells release in response to inflammation. TNF-alpha may cause cell damage.

Further research may establish this treatment as an option for millions of Alzheimer’s patients.