Epilepsy Drugs Show Benefit in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
Bloomberg News
July 21, 1998, 7:00 a.m. ET
Epilepsy Drugs Show Benefit in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
Amsterdam, July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Drugs designed to
counteract epileptic seizures, sold by Novartis AG, Abbott
Laboratories and others, can benefit Alzheimer's patients, a new
set of studies found.
In many cases, doctors are already using the medications to
calm the agitation suffered by patients with Alzheimer's,
according to researchers at New York's University of Rochester.
Still, these are the first prospective, controlled clinical
studies to prove the benefits of the drugs in patients with the
degenerative disease, they said.
In two studies of the drug carbamazepine, sold by
Switzerland's Novartis and a number of generic drug
manufacturers, the researchers found that three out of four
patients improved while on the drug. Promising results have also
appeared in a preliminary study of divalproex, sold by Abbott
Park, Illinois-based Abbott as Depakote, the researchers said.
Behavior problems, such as aggression, ''wear care givers
down and are one of the main reasons that patients are admitted
to acute and long-term care institutions,'' said Anton
Porsteinsson, a psychiatry professor at Rochester. ''This type of
medicine alleviates those symptoms for many patients in a
population that is a bear to treat.''
The National Institutes of Health funded the two studies of
carbamazepine, while the Alzheimer's Association funded the
preliminary study of divalproex. Researchers presented the
studies at the 6th International Conference on Alzheimer's
Disease and Related Disorders in Amsterdam.
Cognex, a drug sold by Morris Plains, New Jersey-based
Warner-Lambert Co., and Aricept, sold by Japan's Eisai Co. and
New York-based Pfizer Inc., are currently approved in the U.S.
for treating Alzheimer's. The Food and Drug Administration
recently asked for more information from Novartis before granting
U.S. approval to the company's Exelon drug for the condition.
--Kristin Jensen in the Washington newsroom (202) 624-1843 /ba |
