… or, “Kwisatz Haderacetylcholinergic Drug Alternatives”
This Rember drug that’s showing promising efficacy against Alzheimer’s is really pretty exciting. For a long time I’ve had blind faith that my generation wouldn’t have to face Alzheimer’s, at least not the way folks currently do. I was hopeful that the solution would arrive in time for our parents, too — now it looks like it might.
The story behind the drug is interesting. Naturally, Derek Lowe is the place to go for an informed perspective on the matter. He (and Wired) both note that Rember is actually a very old drug: Methylene Blue, which has been used for everything from malaria to psychiatric disorders to intestinal surgery. It’s got a long history and seems to be quite safe.
But it is very, very blue. And that leads to some side effects. From the Wikipedia article:
Methylene blue was used at the end of the century as a successful treatment for malaria. It disappeared as an anti-malarial during the wars in Asia, as U.S. soldiers disliked its two inevitable, fully reversible side effects: green urine and blue sclera.
Blue sclera — as in the used-to-be-whites of your eyes. So yes: grandma might remain mentally sharp, but she’s going to look like she just wandered off the set of Dune. Awesome.
Presumably the drug can be used synergistically with the Juice of Saphoo.