Researchers: Galantamine Benefits Extend At Least Two Years

Galantamine therapy may sustain cognitive benefits for patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Cognitive benefits of treatment with galantamine may be sustained for at least two years, according to the study presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Philadelphia.

"Our interest was to study whether galantamine's effects on cognitive function persisted over two years," said Dr. Rachelle Doody, neurologist and author of the study. Previous studies have been limited to six-month trials.

Researchers examined data from an open label trial that followed a double-blind study of 636 patients with Alzheimer's disease who were randomly selected to take either galantamine or placebo for 6 months. They were then eligible to receive open-label galantamine for an additional 18 months. Researchers used the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale to measure and compare study group data against the natural decline in cognitive function observed in an historical drug study group given placebos. Patients in both groups had similar entry criteria and baseline characteristics, according to the study.

Patients who received galantamine maintained cognitive benefits above their baseline for the first year, compared with the placebo group whose cognitive benefits declined. Assessment scale scores for the group taking galantamine were significantly better than the estimated scores of the group taking placebo at two years, and the cognitive benefits of galantamine increased over time, relative to the predicted rates of decline in untreated patients, according to the study.

"We do not know yet whether the sustained benefits of galantamine are related to its ability to modulate nicotinic receptors in addition to its activity as a cholinesterase inhibitor," said Doody.

Galantamine (Reminyl), made from the bulbs of daffodils, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February 2001 and will be available in the spring.

Other sources: American Academy of Neurology