Alzheimer’s Drugs Proposal Welcomed

Sir Terry Pratchett, patron of the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

New proposals recommending three drugs, currently used for moderate Alzheimer’s, to be expanded to treat mild stages of the disease, have been welcomed by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust (ART).

The draft guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) also recommend use of a further drug, memantine, to treat severe Alzheimer’s and some patients in moderate stages.

NICE says it has moved to positively recommend the drugs for wider treatment following increasing clinical research evidence of their effectiveness. Previously, donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl) and rivastigmine (Exelon) were only routinely available through the NHS for moderate stage Alzheimer’s.

ART has long been calling for fair access to drugs that can benefit people at all stages of the disease, with patron Sir Terry Pratchett previously criticising NICE for refusing to sanction Aricept to people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

ART Chief Executive Rebecca Wood said: “This welcome proposal gives all people living with Alzheimer’s the best possible chance of benefiting from the treatments we have available. These drugs hold the promise of relief from the symptoms of Alzheimer’s for thousands of people and, while not the cure we desperately need, they can still help.

“The Government’s national dementia strategy stresses the need for early diagnosis, so NICE’s proposal could provide swift and much-needed treatment for people with Alzheimer’s in its early stages,” she added.

More: www.alzheimers-research.org.uk, www.nice.co.uk