A drug called ramipril did not protect thinking skills during brain tumor treatment
Original title: WF-1801: Single-arm pilot study of ramipril for prevention of radiation-induced cognitive decline in glioblastoma patients receiving chemoradiotherapy.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
It was tested in a small group of people, but it did not help.
The short version
Researchers tried a drug to protect memory and thinking during glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary treatment, but it did not help.
What was studied. 75 people with glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary took a drug called ramipril during radiation and chemo. They kept taking it for 4 weeks after radiation ended. Researchers wanted to see if people could stick with it and if it protected their thinking skills.
What they found. Only 48% of people stayed in the study and did what was asked. About 61% took most of their doses. Their thinking test scores were about the same as people in an earlier study who did not take the drug.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Ramipril does not look like a good way to protect thinking skills during this treatment. The researchers expect future studies to test other drugs instead.
What it doesn't mean: This was a small, early study in people, and the drug did not work as hoped. It does not change care for patients today. It is not a cure, and it does not mean memory problems from treatment cannot be helped. Other ideas are still being studied.
Source: PubMed, May 22, 2026 · Read the original
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