A member of a class of drugs that are widely prescribed for abnormal behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer’s – but not often studied in people with the degenerative brain disease – proved to be effective and well tolerated in treating agitation in people with severe Alzheimer’s, according to research reported at The 9th International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ICAD) in Philadelphia, presented by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Although Alzheimer’s is best known for its effects on memory, as the disease progresses, individuals often experience severe agitation or symptoms of psychosis. Doctors often prescribe antipsychotic drugs to alleviate these symptoms. Quetiapine (Seroquel, AstraZeneca) is one of the newer choices, and two related AstraZeneca-funded studies presented at ICAD address questions about its effectiveness and safety. Earlier studies suggested that drugs similar to quetiapine might increase risk of stroke in older adults.
In a 10-week multicenter study, researchers assessed the effects of quetiapine in 333 elderly, institutionalized patients with severe Alzheimer's. Pierre Tariot, M.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, and colleagues reported significantly better scores on several indices of agitation among patients receiving quetiapine (200 mg/day) versus placebo. They reported no significant safety issues, especially strokes or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs, “mini-strokes”). This latter concern was addressed more directly in a separate analysis of data also presented at ICAD.