Study: Aricept Effective in Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer's

Two studies have found that patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease showed significant improvement in their memory and thinking when treated with Aricept (donepezil HCl tablets).

The early signs of Alzheimer's include forgetting names, places and facts, as well as experiencing difficulty with everyday activities, such as balancing checkbooks or remembering where things are.

Findings from the studies were presented May 15 at the American Geriatrics Society annual meeting in Baltimore. Aricept is indicated for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Ben Singer of Tulane University, who led one of the studies, said the findings demonstrate that Alzheimer's treatment can improve cognition when started in the earlier or very mild stages of the disease.

Singer said it is unfortunate that patients and families often wait several years before seeking a diagnosis after noticing the first signs of Alzheimer's disease. He emphasized that early diagnosis and treatment may be the best way to slow the progression of symptoms and to allow sufferers to continue to perform everyday activities.

The study by Singer and his colleagues involved 153 patients diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's who received either Aricept or a placebo over 24 weeks. More than twice as many (42.9 percent) of the Aricept patients experienced significant cognitive improvement than those taking a placebo (20 percent).

The other study found that patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's, who do not appear to show an initial clinical benefit from taking Aricept, can actually benefit from continued treatment.

The study involved three treatment phases. In the first phase, 812 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease received Aricept for 12 to 24 weeks. Thirty-one percent of the patients showed no apparent clinical benefit. These non-responsive patients either continued on with Aricept treatment for another 12 weeks or received a placebo. Those who continued with the treatment showed significant benefits in cognition and behavior compared with the placebo group.

"It is important for physicians to understand that the benefits gained from therapy are often not evident until patients are treated and assessed over longer periods of time than just a few months," said Dr. Peter Johannsen of the Memory Clinic at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.

Other sources: Eisai Inc.; Pfizer Inc