Just one week after researchers from Boston University School of Medicine stated in a study that use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for five years was linked with a 24 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, results of a clinical trial show that neither Celebrex nor naproxen (both belonging to the class of NSAIDs) preserves mental function.

Moreover, naproxen, which goes under the brand names Aleve and Naprosyn may even have a harmful effect on cognitive function it was found.

The trial, which lasted four years, involved 2,117 people aged 70 or older with a family history of Alzheimer’s. They were divided into three groups: one group received Bayer’s Aleve, another Pfizer Inc.’s Celebrex and a third group took a placebo. The participants were Alzheimer’s free at the beginning of the trial, March 2001. Their cognitive function was tested annually, but the trial stopped in December 2004 because another study had reported an increased risk of cardiovascular problems in people taking Celebrex.

All three groups scored about the same at the start of the trial. However, over time, the participants taking Aleve scored on average slightly lower than those given placebo. The participants taking Celebrex scored slightly lower than the placebo takers on most, but not all, of the tests.

“These were not the results we were hoping for. We designed this study hoping we would see a protective effect of these drugs. For now, we suggest that naproxen and [Celebrex] should not be used for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease,” Johns Hopkins researcher Barbara K. Martin, PhD, and fellow members of the Alzheimer’s Disease Anti-Inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT) research group, concluded, according to the Associated Press.

“There’s no evidence that people should be on these drugs to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. With the side effects of these drugs, people shouldn’t be taking them for this reason,” said Dr. David Bennett of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study but does similar research.

The results clearly contradict findings of Boston University researchers published in the May 6 issue of the journal Neurology, according to which, taking ibuprofen, commonly sold as Advil or Motrin, for at least five years cuts the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 40 percent. Scientists have long speculated that NSAIDs might prevent Alzheimer’s by reducing inflammation in the brain, which is a clear sign of the disease.

Not only NSAIDs do not help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but they also can cause serious gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients taking them should ask their physicians about how long to take these drugs for pain.

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 18 million people worldwide with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2025, that number is expected to reach 34 million, as existing drugs can ease symptoms but do not stop the disease. Alzheimer’s causes a progressive loss of memory and mental faculties, which can be devastating for the patients concerned and those around them.

The results of the trial, funded by the National Institute on Aging, Pfizer Inc. and Bayer Healthcare, appeared in the May 12 issue of Archives of Neurology.