Novartis' Exelon patch "better than tablet"

Swiss drug major Novartis says that the international study of Exelon Patch (rivastigmine transdermal patch), the first skin-adhesive product for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, which is estimated to affect more than 15 million people worldwide, suggests it may provide "a promising new treatment approach."

According to the Basle-headquartered group, data from the six-month IDEAL trial of 1,195 patients with AD showed that the patch provided benefits across a range of symptoms and the target dose was well-tolerated. The results were presented by the Alzheimer's Association at the 10th International Conference on AD and Related Disorders in Madrid, Spain.

Summarizing the findings, lead study investigator, Bengt Winblad of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, said that "the target rivastigmine patch dose provided similar efficacy to that achieved at the highest doses of the capsule with three times fewer reports of nausea and vomiting. A transdermal patch may prove to be the best way to deliver rivastigmine to treat Alzheimer's."