The Science Translational Medicine journal recently published research about the generic antidepressant citalopram, which was developed by Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) under the brand name Celexa, as a potential way to help slow down the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Now this study was small and further research needs to be done, but it shows that anti-depressent use may reduce the production of beta-amyloid plaques, seen as a contributing factor for the development of Alzheimer's. However, there is a long way to go and a lot of science to discover before these common drugs are seen as a preventative tool for those at risk.
In this episode of The Motley Fool's health-care show Market Checkup, analysts David Williamson and Michael Douglass discuss this trial, how our knowledge of the disease is evolving and the many other new Alzheimer's treatments being developed right now.
