New dementia drug proves its worth
A disease called Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is one of the major causes of dementia in old age. Changes seen in patients’ brains suggest that they might be particularly responsive to new Alzheimer’s disease drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors. Professor Ian McKeith and colleagues from the MRC/University Centre Development in Clinical Brain Ageing at Newcastle, with industrial support from Novartis, have conducted the first multicentre, placebo-controlled trial of the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine. The drug produced significant improvements in the core clinical features of the disease, reducing hallucinations, delusions and agitation. This finding is leading to further trial studies and is already changing clinical practice as DLB patients are starting to receive the treatment.
Lancet 2000; 356: 2031-2036