Alzheimer Disease Patients Have New Treatment Option With Metrifonate

INDIANAPOLIS --Alzheimer disease patients participating in the first study of the new cholinesterase inhibitor, metrifonate, experienced improvement in their cognitive test scores from their pre-treatment scores, an Indiana University School of Medicine researcher reported at the 50th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

The 1,504 patients with probable AD of mild to moderate severity participated in either a 12-week, double-blind trial or a 26-week, double blind trial. Participants received either a placebo, a low dose treatment of metrifonate (30-60 mg based on patient weight), or a high dose treatment of metrifonate (60-80 mg based on weight).

According to the study's lead investigator, Martin Farlow, M.D., professor and vice chairman for research in the Indiana University Department of Neurology, the effect of the high dose treatment was statistically superior to that of the low dose treatment.

Patients were evaluated by ADAS-Cog, a validated, 11-item scale designed to assess cognitive performance in areas of memory, language and the ability to follow directions.

"This study is encouraging news for AD patients and their families," said Dr. Farlow. "It shows metrifonate improves cognitive performance above pre-treatment levels in patients with mild to moderate AD."

The study also showed that higher doses of metrifonate produced a more significant improvement in cognitive performance with no increase in safety problems or decline in tolerability.

"Peripheral cholinergic side effects did not significantly increase with the higher dosage of metrifonate as has been seen with some of the other cholinesterase inhibitors," Dr. Farlow added.

The study was based on four district, postive, randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Metrifonate is a cholinesterase inhibitor developed by Bayer Corporation of Connecticut.

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