Combination treatment with memantine and ChEI suggests a comprehensive effect on patients with Alzheimer's

New data showing that combination therapy with a cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) and memantine (Axura, from Germany’s Merz) - a non-competitive NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist - promises significant advantages in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, were presented at a satellite symposium held at the Congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) in Budapest, Hungary. There are indications that AD patients retain their cognitive skills, basic everyday activities, social behavior, and communication skills for longer.

Chairman David Wilkinson, Director of the Memory Assessment and Research Centre (MARC) Southampton, UK, explained that AD patients become physically and mentally dependent on their caregivers. Therefore, a key objective of current treatments is to slow down progression of the disease which can profoundly improve the quality of life of AD patients and their carers. The combination treatment of ChEl donepezil (Eisai’s Aricept) and memantine is one possibility of maintaining the patient’s condition, he said.