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New Alzheimer's drug gives good results

By: Susan Aldridge, PhD

Health and Age, April 7, 2003

Memantine can slow down the progress of severe Alzheimer's disease, according to the latest study.
Researchers at New York University have shown that memantine, a drug that's been used in Germany for many years, can slow down Alzheimer's disease for six months - making it the first effective treatment for more severe dementia. Till now, medication for Alzheimer's disease has been found useful only in mild to moderate forms of the disease.

The placebo-controlled study gave patients on memantine the ability to carry on activities of daily living for longer than expected. These were patients with severe disease and their condition progressed about half as fast as had been expected. It's not yet known if these benefits last for longer than six months. Further research will show this, and there are trials ongoing which will reveal if memantine is useful in the earlier stages of the disease or in combination with other drugs.

Memantine works by blocking a brain chemical called glutamate which otherwise causes a phenomenon called excitotoxicity - a state of over-stimulation that leads to brain damage. The current trial has led to the approval of memantine for dementia by the European regulatory authorities. The US Food and Drug Administration still has the drug under review.