Alzheimer's: Charity slams Nice advice after new tests
A drug used to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's may also benefit people in the later stages of the disease, according to Swedish research.
The study, carried out by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, found that Donepezil, or Aricept as it is more commonly known, could improve mental function in severe cases.
It discovered that patients given the drug experienced an improved ability to think, remember and interact socially. They were also able to carry out more activities of daily living than those not given the drug.
Despite these findings, Donepezil is currently only licensed for patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer's.
The latest draft guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), issued in January, suggest this is likely to remain the case after it recommended that the NHS should only fund the drug for patients who reach a moderate stage of the condition.
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, slammed the Nice proposal.
She said: "This and other recent research throws doubt on the conventional wisdom that cholinesterase inhibitors are only suitable for patients in the mild to moderate stages of the disease.
"It also suggests that these drugs may work in more ways than one and have other effects than simply inhibiting cholinesterases."
Wood said that with only one other anti-Alzheimer's drug, Memantime (Ebixa), currently used to treat patients with the later stages of the disease, the research was encouraging.
However, she warned: "This is very new research and people currently affected by Alzheimer's should be aware that Aricept is only licensed in the UK for the treatment of mild and moderate Alzheimer's and not yet for the severe stages of the disease."
