Last week we reported on Eli-Lilly’s breakthrough Alzheimer’s disease drug solanezumab. This week we look back at the history behind five existing treatments on the market.
1. Donepezil (brand name Aricept)
Marketed by Pfizer, donepezil is said to demonstrate mild benefits in cognition for Alzheimer’s patients. However it does not alter or slow the progress of the condition. First developed in 1983, as of 2014 it was the world’s best-selling drug for treating the disease.
2. Galantamine (brand name Razadyne)
Natural galantamine is found in the seeds and bulbs and daffodils. As well as memory enhancement properties, some say it can evoke out-of-body experiences and lucid dreams.
3. Memantine (brand name Namenda)
Memantine is prescribed for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. It has a long history, having been originally synthesised by Eli Lilly & Co. It was intended as an antidiabetic agent but was found to be ineffective in lowering elevated blood sugar.
After other firms found various uses for it, including as a dementia and Parkinson’s treatment, clinical trials were conducted on its use in Alzheimer’s disease between 1995 and 2000, and the drug was approved in the European Union in 2002.
4. Rivastigmine (brand name Exelon)
Exelon is a drug which makes a claim to “slow the progression of symptoms and help people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease stay connected longer”. It was first developed by Marta Weinstock-Rosin, Department of Pharmacology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
5. Donepezil and Memantine (brand name Namzaric)
Combination drug Namzaric only gained FDA approval last year. Makers Actavis and Adamas were behind the release.
At the approval announcement, Gustavo Alva, MD, Neuropsychiatrist and Medical Director at ATP Clinical Research in Costa Mesa said: “When determining therapies for my patients in the moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer's disease, I consider the therapy's effectiveness, safety profile and its ease of administration. The FDA's approval of Namzaric offers a new therapeutic option that provides patients a fixed-dose combination of two treatments often prescribed together, in one capsule.”