Viagra, the brand name for the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil, is linked to a lower rate of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to a recent study.

The study, published Monday in the journal Nature Aging, showed that sildenafil was linked to a 69% lowered rate of Alzheimer’s in an examination of over 7 million patients. The analysis indicates the need for follow-up clinical trial testing to better understand sildenafil's efficacy in Alzheimer's patients.

Feixiong Cheng, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic and the lead author of the study, said that “before this study, we didn’t expect we would identify sildenafil” as a drug candidate for treating Alzheimer’s.

Sildenafil was initially created to treat heart conditions, as it enhances blood flow by alleviating blood vessels.

“Developing drugs for diseases, like Alzheimer’s, which attack the brain, is a costly process and can take many years,” Dr. Susan Kohlhaas, of the Alzheimer’s Research U.K., told Medical News Today. “Being able to repurpose a drug already licensed for other health conditions could help speed up the drug discovery process and bring about life-changing dementia treatments sooner.”

Kohlhaas also had a few reservations regarding the results of the study.

“The researchers conducted lab-based experiments to give an indication as to why the drug may have impact [on] diseases like Alzheimer’s, but these early-stage experiments would need follow-up in more thorough tests,” she said. "Importantly, this research doesn’t prove that sildenafil is responsible for reducing dementia risk or that it slows or stops the disease.”

According to The Alzheimer's Association, over 6 million Americans live with Alzheimer's. By 2050, the number is expected to reach almost 13 million.

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