FDA Approves Memantine for Moderate to Severe Alzheimer's

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved memantine for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.

This marks the first time that the agency has approved a drug for the treatment of patients with this advanced level of the disease.

Working differently than other drugs currently available for treating Alzheimers, memantine blocks the action of the chemical glutamate, which is thought to play a role in the disease.

Although memantine helps treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease in some patients, there is no evidence that it modifies the underlying pathology of the disease, according to the FDA.

Key studies in memantine's approval found that patients taking the drug experienced less deterioration compared to patients treated with a placebo.

Memantine will be marketed under the trade name Namenda® by Forest Labs of Jersey City, NJ.

Other sources: FDA