Health
Doubt cast on Alzheimer's drugs
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 26, 2004
The cholinesterase inhibitors widely used to treat Alzheimer's have only minimal efficacy and do not delay institutionalization or disability, according to a study published in a June The Lancet.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, randomized more than 500 patients with the disease to receive donepezil, one drug in this family, or placebo. After two years, they found that the drug did improve mental and functional ability, although not very much. There was no difference, however, in how disabled these patients were or if they were still able to remain in their homes. The drug also had no impact on behavioral and psychological symptoms, care costs, caregiver time, adverse events or deaths.
Authors of the paper questioned whether these drugs were worth the cost.
"Clinicians and health care funders can validly question whether other uses of the scarce resources allocated to dementia care would provide better value," said Dr. Richard Gray, study leader and professor of medical statistics.
Patient advocates cautioned that the study should not impact care decisions and drug manufacturers defended their product in light of other studies that have had better results.
"They are effective, and result in considerable, meaningful differences in patients," said Susan Bro, spokeswoman for Pfizer Inc., the drug's manufacturer.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/07/26/hlbf0726.htm.
