Anavex Life Sciences Corp (AVXL)

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Another indictment of Big Pharma's neuro drugs:

(CNN)Many older adults know that long-term use of certain medications can negatively affect cognition and increase one's risk of dementia.

But a new study suggests that some classes of anticholinergic drugs -- particularly those used to treat depression, Parkinson's and urinary incontinence -- carry a higher risk than others.
Anticholinergic drugs function by blocking the effects of acetylcholine, a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerves and muscles. They are prescribed to 20% to 50% of older adults in the United States to treat a variety of neurological, psychiatric, gastrointestinal, respiratory and muscular conditions, according to a 2009 study. In the UK, 34% to 48% of older adults take them, another study found.
The new study, published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal, looked at the risk of new-onset dementia among nearly 350,000 older adults in the United Kingdom. The researchers found that people who used certain types of anticholinergics, such as those used to treat depression, Parkinson's and urinary incontinence, for a year or more had about a 30% increased risk of developing dementia down the road.


more...

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/25/health/anticholinergic-drugs-dementia-risk-study/index.html?no-st=1524792081