Studies offer data on potential impact of Reminyl on caregiver 'burden' in Alzheimer's diseaseNice, France – 13 SEPTEMBER 2001 – Reminyl™ (galantamine) – the newest medication approved to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease – can ease the burden on family caregivers by reducing the amount of time required for supervision and assistance, as well as by alleviating the stress associated with these responsibilities, suggest data presented today at the Tenth Congress of the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA).“One of the key characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease is the serious impact it has not only on persons with the illness, but also on their family caregivers,” explains Prof. Gordon Wilcock, one of the lead authors of the research and professor in the Department of Care of the Elderly at Frenchay Hospital at the United Kingdom's University of Bristol. “If a treatment can simultaneously benefit both of these groups, it would help to dispel the myth that Alzheimer's inevitably ends the productive lives of all involved. In addition, since the behavior of the patient, the time spent providing care and the overall burden on the family are significant factors in the decision to commit someone to a full-time-care facility, effective treatment with a medication like Reminyl may delay institutionalisation, which would have a positive economic impact."Included in the analysis were 435 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease who had been randomly assigned to receive either 24 mg of Reminyl daily (220) or placebo (215) for six months as part of a larger study conducted in Europe and Canada.
