What this Study About Aricept and Severe Alzheimer's Means to You
A drug trial of Aricept, a cholinesterase inhibitor used for treating early and moderate Alzheimer's, has found some benefit for people with a severe form of the disease. Published in the Lancet (March 23 2006) the research was carried out in Sweden nursing homes by Bengt Winblad and colleagues from the Karolinska Institite. The six month study looked at 248 patients over age 50 (average age of about 85 yrs) with severe Alzheimer's disease. 194 patients completed the study and of these 95 patients received Aricept, 99 a placebo.
The study subjects were given tests to established whether there were any improvements in things such as memory, language and social interactions. The findings showed that although there was some slight improvements in the group of people with severe Alzheimer's who took Aricept (Donepezil) those improvements "did not meet predefined thresholds" but were statistically significant.
What this Study About Aricept and Severe Alzheimer's Means to You
Points to remember when evaluating the research findings include the following:
Article Source: Winblad, Bengt, et al, "Donepezil in patients with severe Alzheimer's disease: doubleblind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study" Published in The Lancet March 23, 2006
03/28/2006
