An international team led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine scientists found that latrepiridine, known commercially as Dimebon, reduced the level of at least two neurodegeneration-related proteins in mice.

Latrepirdine was initially sold as an antihistamine in Russia, following its approval for use there in 1983. In the 1990s, the compound appeared effective in treating some of the earliest animal models of Alzheimer's disease. In a high profile Phase II clinical trial in Russia, latrepirdine showed significant and sustained improvement in cognitive behavior in Alzheimer's patients with minimal side effects. However, when the drug was tested in the U.S. in a Phase III trial, it did not demonstrate any improvement in people with the disease, causing the sponsors to halt further clinical study of the drug in Alzheimer's disease.

Before the failed trials however, Mount Sinai researchers led by Dr. Sam Gandy, began studying how latrepirdine worked.

"Despite the failure to replicate the positive Russian trial results in U.S. patients, we found unexpected evidence that latrepirdine had potential as a treatment for a number of neurodegenerative disorders," said Dr. Gandy. "Our study shows that the compound prevents neurodegeneration in multiple ways and should remain a contender for battling these devastating diseases. The anti-amyloid approach - most recently exemplified by reports that a second bapineuzumab trial has failed - might only help patients if begun before the brain pathology begins to build up."

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