Raloxifene has no effect on memory

Eli Lilly's Evista (raloxifene), which was approved in Europe in 1998and in the USA in 1999 for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis (Marketletters passim), has been shown not to slow the decline of learning and memory which is thought to be caused in part by falling estrogen levels in postmenopausal women.

A report in the New England Journal of Medicine (April 19) says that Raloxifene was shown to help nerve cells grow, and this prompted tests that compared 7,478 women given either 60mg raloxifene or 120mg raloxifene or placebo daily for three years. Results of six different memory tests taken at the onset of the study and again after six months, one year and three years showed that although the average test scores improved slightly in all three treatment groups over the three-year period, the risk for declining score did not differ significantly. However, women taking raloxifene did have a somewhat slower decline in verbal memory and attention, although this was alongside a higher incidence of hot flashes.

Report author Richard Mayeux of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA, says that the results "are both reassuring in that there was no decline associated with raloxifene, and disappointing because cognitive performances were not enhanced." Dr Mayeux added that it is too soon to conclude whether estrogen and selective estrogen-receptor molecules have no effect on brain function, noting that the drug used in the study may not sufficiently mimic natural estrogen in the brain, and three years may not be long enough to detect any improvement.