By Christine Haran
Much to the frustration of their caregivers, people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease have had no treatment options. But that will change next January when a drug called memantine, marketed as Namenda, hits the US market. On October 17, the US Food and Drug Administration approved memantine for the treatment of these patients. Previously, medications approved for Alzheimer's disease—the leading cause of dementia—were only available to patients in earlier stages of the disease.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition that causes memory loss as well as confusion and a decline in one's ability to perform tasks of daily living. On average, people live with the disease for eight years.
"The latter portion of the disease is associated with the greatest burden on the part of the caregiver," explains Barry Reisberg, MD, the principle investigator of a randomized study of memantine and the clinical director of the Silberstein Institute of Aging and Dementia at New York University School of Medicine. "Now, for the first time, when a family member says 'If only you could slow the progression of the disease down,' we'll be able to say that there is something we can do, pharmacologically."
While previously approved Alzheimer's drugs increase levels of a chemical called acetylcholine, memantine blocks a neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory called glutamate, which, when elevated, may contribute to cell disruption and death. Neither type of drug treats the underlying causes of the disease, however.
Still, researchers say the approval of memantine is encouraging. According to memantine researcher Myron Weiner, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, "It's a little step forward in terms of slowing disease progression, and it gives people an extra measure of hope."
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