RIVASTIGMINE TRANSDERMAL PATCH

Exelon(R) (rivastigmine) Transdermal Patch: First and Only Skin Patch for Alzheimer's Disease Provides Novel Treatment Approach Exelon(R) (rivastigmine) transdermal patch, the first and only skin patch for the symptomatic treatment of mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's dementia(1), is available in the UK from today. Once-daily rivastigmine patch offers a novel and effective alternative to oral medication. A clinical study of 1,195 people with Alzheimer's dementia demonstrated that the rivastigmine patch improves cognitive function (assessed using a tool that includes measures of orientation, memory and language), as well as a patient's ability to perform everyday activities compared to placebo(1). The study also showed that the 9.5mg/24h patch is as effective as the maximum titrated dose of rivastigmine oral capsules(1). IDEAL (Investigation of Transdermal Exelon in Alzheimer's disease) was a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled 24-week trial to compare the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the once-daily rivastigmine transdermal patch with conventional twice-daily rivastigmine capsules in patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD)(1). The primary outcome measures for the main IDEAL results were the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Clinical Global Impression of Change (ADSC-CGIC)(1). The outcome measure for the Caregiver sub-study was the Alzheimer's Disease Caregiver Preference Questionnaire (ADCPQ)(3). IDEAL was conducted in 21 countries, involving 100 centres and 1,195 patients aged 50-85 years old with a score of 10-20 in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the most widely-used test for assessing memory problems or dementia. In this study 1,195 patients with mild-moderate AD were randomly assigned to receive a target dose of 9.5 mg/24h rivastigmine patch; 12mg/day rivastigmine capsules or placebo.