Drug can curb dementia’s delusions, researchers find

MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Chief Medical Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — A drug that curbs delusions in Parkinson's patients did the same for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in a study that was stopped early because the benefit seemed clear. If regulators agree, the drug could become the first treatment specifically for dementia-related psychosis and the first new medicine for Alzheimer's in nearly two decades. It targets some of the most troubling symptoms that patients and caregivers face — hallucinations that often lead to anxiety, aggression, and physical and verbal abuse. Results were disclosed Wednesday at a conference in San Diego. "This would be a very important advance," said one independent expert, Dr. Howard Fillit, chief science officer of the Alzheimer