Patch As Treatment For Alzheimer's

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Results of a large-scale study published last week in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry show that Exelon® Patch, the first skin patch in development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, was well tolerated and provided benefits across a range of symptoms.

Exelon Patch (rivastigmine transdermal patch) is designed to provide smooth, continuous delivery of the drug through the skin. This maintains steady drug levels in the bloodstream, improving tolerability and allowing a higher proportion of patients to receive therapeutic doses of medication, with potential improvements in efficacy. During the 24-week IDEAL study of 1,195 patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease 1, patients using once-daily Exelon Patch had improved memory and thinking, and were better able to perform everyday activities than those on placebo 1. In addition, the target dose of Exelon Patch 10 provided equivalent efficacy to the highest doses of Exelon capsules with three times fewer reports of nausea and vomiting 1. The patch showed a low level of skin irritation and very good skin adhesion over 24 hours in a range of everyday situations including bathing, and in hot weather.

In addition, more than 70 percent of caregivers in the IDEAL study preferred the patch as a method of drug delivery for reasons including aiding them to follow the treatment schedule, overall ease of use, and less interference with daily life. "In the IDEAL study, the Exelon Patch not only provided significantly superior results compared to placebo, but also similar efficacy to the highest dose of rivastigmine capsules, with dramatically improved tolerability," said lead study investigator Professor Bengt Winblad of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. "These promising data indicate that the Exelon Patch may provide an optimal way to deliver rivastigmine to people with Alzheimer's disease."

Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) is a dual cholinesterase inhibitor that is already approved in oral form in many countries for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and dementia associated with Parkinson's disease. The IDEAL study results will support the regulatory submission of the Exelon Patch to health authorities worldwide. If approved, the Exelon Patch would be the first transdermal therapy for Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disorder that affects 24 million people worldwide.

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