True-ish, but Aricept is generally seen and used as a disease-slowing treatment (even if the data is inconclusive, it is perceived this way by physicians).
> In patients with Alzheimer's Dementia participating in clinical trials, administration of single daily doses of 5 mg or 10 mg of ARICEPT produced steady-state inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity (measured in erythrocyte membranes) of 63.6% and 77.3%, respectively when measured post dose. The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in red blood cells by donepezil hydrochloride has been shown to correlate to changes in ADAS-cog, a sensitive scale that examines selected aspects of cognition. The potential for donepezil hydrochloride to alter the course of the underlying neuropathology has not been studied. Thus ARICEPT cannot be considered to have any effect on the progress of the disease.
> Efficacy of treatment of Alzheimer's Dementia with ARICEPT has been investigated in four placebo-controlled trials, 2 trials of 6-month duration and 2 trials of 1-year duration.
> In the 6 months clinical trial, an analysis was done at the conclusion of donepezil treatment using a combination of three efficacy criteria: the ADAS-Cog (a measure of cognitive performance), the Clinician Interview Based Impression of Change with Caregiver Input (a measure of global function) and the Activities of Daily Living Subscale of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (a measure of capabilities in community affairs, home and hobbies and personal care).
- % Response
- Intent to Treat Population n=365, Evaluable Population n=352
I'm guessing the perception that it slowed Alzheimer's is because some patients were misdiagnosed. Aricept can help with falls in Parkinson's patients with balance problems, and in my experience seems to help with arousal.
Accurately diagnosing the elderly is difficult. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 15-20 years ago, which was likely inaccurate. At this point it looks like she probably has Dopa-Responsive Dystonia and may also have some form of Vascular Dementia, some sort of CSF disorder, and possibly some other problem that hasn't been diagnosed.
Yes, until recently there was no way to confirm Alzheimer with certainty until after death. But recent imaging solutions make it possible to see the amyloid plaques in living subjects.
True-ish, but Aricept is generally seen and used as a disease-slowing treatment (even if the data is inconclusive, it is perceived this way by physicians).
> In patients with Alzheimer's Dementia participating in clinical trials, administration of single daily doses of 5 mg or 10 mg of ARICEPT produced steady-state inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity (measured in erythrocyte membranes) of 63.6% and 77.3%, respectively when measured post dose. The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in red blood cells by donepezil hydrochloride has been shown to correlate to changes in ADAS-cog, a sensitive scale that examines selected aspects of cognition. The potential for donepezil hydrochloride to alter the course of the underlying neuropathology has not been studied. Thus ARICEPT cannot be considered to have any effect on the progress of the disease.
> Efficacy of treatment of Alzheimer's Dementia with ARICEPT has been investigated in four placebo-controlled trials, 2 trials of 6-month duration and 2 trials of 1-year duration.
> In the 6 months clinical trial, an analysis was done at the conclusion of donepezil treatment using a combination of three efficacy criteria: the ADAS-Cog (a measure of cognitive performance), the Clinician Interview Based Impression of Change with Caregiver Input (a measure of global function) and the Activities of Daily Living Subscale of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (a measure of capabilities in community affairs, home and hobbies and personal care).
- % Response
- Intent to Treat Population n=365, Evaluable Population n=352
- Placebo Group 10%, 10%,
- ARICEPT tablets 5-mg Group, 18% (sig), 18% (sig)
- ARICEPT tablets 10-mg Group, 21% (sig), 22% (sig)
Aricept does not seem to have much efficacy overall, but it makes a lot of money for the lack of alternatives. (https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/3776/smpc)