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Donepezil may benefit moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease

Widely prescribed to treat patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, the dementia drug donepezil may also help patients with moderate to severe forms of the disease, according to a report.

Robert Howard, MD, of King’s College London, and colleagues conducted their 1-year trial with 295 community-living patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers reported that “in patients with moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease, continued treatment with donepezil was associated with cognitive benefits.”

“For the first time we have compelling evidence that treatment with these drugs can continue to help patients at the later, more severe stages of the disease,” researchers wrote. “We observed that patients who continued taking donepezil were better able to remember, understand, communicate and perform daily tasks for at least a year longer than those who stopped taking the drugs.”

The investigators examined donepezil (Aricept), a commonly prescribed dementia drug used by patients in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and memantine. When patients’ conditions deteriorate to moderate to severe, some have their prescriptions changed to memantine.

Howard and colleagues indicated those patients who continued to take donepezil showed less cognitive decline and function compared with those taking a placebo. To a lesser extent, patients who began memantine also scored better on the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination compared with patients who took placebo, according to the report. The study adds there was “no significant benefit to taking donepezil and memantine in combination over donepezil alone.”

Disclosures: Dr. Howard and colleagues report the study was sponsored by King’s College London and funded by the UK Medical Research Council and UK Alzheimer’s Society. Drs. Rupert McShane, James Lindesay, Craig Ritchie, Robert Barber, Alistair Burns, David Findlay, Rob Jones, Ian McKeith, John O’Brien, Peter Passmore, Cornelius Katona, Clive Ballard, Richard Brown, Sube Banerjee and Peter Bentham have disclosed numerous relevant financial relationships.