Clerici, Francesca, Vanacore, Nicola, Elia, Antonietta, Spila-Alegiani, Stefania, Pomati, Simone, Da Cas, Roberto, Raschetti, Roberto, Mariani, Claudio

Background: Postmarketing surveillance studies (PMS) are an important tool for evaluating a drug’s effectiveness and safety in clinical practice. To our knowledge, no PMS on memantine monotherapy for moderately-severe-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD) according to National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke—Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria has been conducted to date. Objective: […]

Lorenzi, Marco, Beltramello, Alberto, Mercuri, Nicola B., Canu, Elisa, Zoccatelli, Giada, Pizzini, Francesca B., Alessandrini, Franco, Cotelli, Maria, Rosini, Sandra, Costardi, Daniela, Caltagirone, Carlo, Frisoni, Giovanni B.

Background: Memantine is an approved symptomatic treatment for moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease that reduces the excitotoxic effects of hyperactive glutamatergic transmission. However, the exact mechanism of the effect of memantine in Alzheimer’s disease patients is poorly understood. Importantly, the default mode network (DMN), which plays a key role in attention, is hypoactive in Alzheimer’s […]

Parsons, Carole, McCann, Laura, Passmore, Peter, Hughes, Carmel

Background: No studies have been conducted in the UK context to date that categorise medications in terms of appropriateness for patients with advanced dementia, or that examine medication use in these vulnerable patients. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to categorise the appropriateness of a comprehensive list of medications and medication classes for use […]

Kanagaratnam, Lukshe, Mahmoudi, Rachid, Novella, Jean-Luc, Jolly, Damien, Dramé, Moustapha, Trenque, Thierry

Introduction: Drug prescriptions represent an actionable item in the prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The aims of this study were to identify risk factors for the occurrence of ADRs, and to describe symptoms and drug interactions. Methods: This was a longitudinal study over a period of 19 months in an acute geriatric ward specializing […]

Herrmann, Nathan, Binder, Carin, Dalziel, William, Smyth, Steve, Camacho, Fernando

Objective: To determine if choice of drug and ease of administration affect persistence of therapy with cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) for treatment of dementia.; Methods: An observational administrative health database study was conducted in 5622 patients aged >or=65 years who received a new prescription for donepezil (DON), rivastigmine (RIV) or galantamine (GAL) from February to May […]

Beauchet, Olivier, Launay, Cyrille P., Allali, Gilles, Herrmann, François R., Annweiler, Cedric

Background: No comparison of anti-dementia drugs-related gait changes has been previously conducted combining single and dual task assessments.; Objectives: (1) To quantify and compare gait changes among patients with possible or probable Alzheimer’s disease before and after the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (i.e., donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine) or memantine, and among controls with possible or probable […]

Aronson, Stephen, Baelen, Bart Van, Kavanagh, Shane, Schwalen, Susanne

Background: Galantamine (hydrobromide), a reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and allosteric nicotinic receptor modulator, slows cognitive and functional decline in mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Although several drugs are indicated for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD), no published study has separately analysed mild and moderate AD subgroups to assess the effect of dosage.; […]