ARICEPT® a popular Alzheimer's drug has been shown to delay the onset of the disease among people with mild cognitive impairment.
ARICEPT® (donepezil hydrochloride) is a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, known chemically as (±)-2,3-dihydro-5,6-dimethoxy-2-[[1-(phenylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]methyl]-1H-inden-1-one hydrochloride. Donepezil hydrochloride is commonly referred to in the pharmacological literature as E2020. Donepezil hydrochloride is a white crystalline powder and is freely soluble in chloroform, soluble in water and in glacial acetic acid, slightly soluble in ethanol and in acetonitrile and practically insoluble in ethyl acetate and in n-hexane.
The drug ARICEPT® reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's among patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, a memory disorder that is often a precursor to the brain disease, according to research released at the 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders.
Dr Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who led the study of 769 people, said "the risk reduction lasted for only 18 months of a three-year trial."
When patients taking ARICEPT® developed Alzheimer's they did so about six months later than those taking a placebo.
"This is the first study to demonstrate a positive treatment effect on progression to Alzheimer's disease from MCI," Dr Petersen said. "It looks like the drug had a modest, time-limited effect," he said. "Nonetheless, we are optimistic because we have begun to make progress toward delaying the development of Alzheimer's."