A controversial drug developed at Southampton's Moorgreen Hospital to treat Alzheimer's is to be made more widely available on the NHS.

Moorgreen Hospital

Aricept, can slow memory loss in cases of mild to moderate dementia.

The drug works by blocking chemical reactions in the brain, helping cells communicate with each other more effectively.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is expected to give its backing to the drug.

It's currently prescribed to patients in Hampshire, but more than half of health authorities have previously refused to pay for the drug which costs a thousand pounds a year.