Novartis says study shows effectiveness of Exelon Patch in treating Alzheimer's disease symptoms

By Lisa Kerner

Charlotte, N.C., July 19 - Novartis said the six-month Ideal (Investigation of Transdermal Exelon in Alzheimer's disease) trial of 1,195 patients showed that the Exelon Patch provided benefits across a range of Alzheimer's disease symptoms.

The 24-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trial compared the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the once-daily Exelon Patch with conventional twice-daily Exelon capsules in patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Primary outcomes measures were measured using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Clinical Global Impression of Change (ADSC-CGIC).

In addition to being well tolerated, the target dose of patch 10 showed similar efficacy to the highest doses of Exelon capsules with less reported side effects of nausea (7.2% versus 23.1%) and vomiting (6.2% versus 17.0%).

Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) has been widely used to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in more than 70 countries.

Transdermal patches provide controlled, continuous delivery of drug through the skin leading to steadily maintained drug levels in the blood.

"Although Alzheimer's disease treatments have been available in oral forms for some time, we believe a patch may offer unique advantages for patients with this condition," global head of development at Novartis Pharma AG James Shannon said in a company news release.

"If approved, the Exelon Patch could potentially improve therapy compliance and help patients and their caregivers in reaching a better quality of life."

The study results were presented at the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Madrid, Spain.

Novartis Pharmaceutical is an East Hanover, N.Y., subsidiary of Basel, Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Novartis.

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