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Alzheimer's Drug May Slow Disease
Aricept Appears to Protect Alzheimer's Brain
Nov. 5, 2003 -- A commonly used Alzheimer's drug seems to slow the relentless disease, new data shows.
The drug, Aricept, protects brain structure for at least six months, report K. Ranga Rama Krishnan, MD, chief of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and colleagues. The findings appear in the November 2003 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"We wanted to know if the drugs available for Alzheimer's disease alter the brain or the progression of the disease in any way," Krishnan says in a news release. "We discovered that, among the patients taking [Aricept], levels of a brain chemical called N-acetylaspartate increased and the hippocampus deteriorated more slowly than among the patients who received a placebo. The implication is that we may be able to do something to change the progression of this disease."
Krishnan and colleagues enrolled 67 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease in the placebo-controlled study. These patients could still understand and use words and recognize family members. As expected, those who got the drug did better. The drug also appeared to preserve brain structure, at least for the six-month study period.
Aricept is one of four FDA-approved Alzheimer's drugs known as cholinesterase inhibitors. It's not yet clear whether the other drugs -- Cognex, Exelon, and Reminyl -- have the same effect on brain structure.
Grants from Aricept manufacturers Eisai Inc., Teaneck, N.J.; and Pfizer Inc., N.Y., funded the study.
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