ARICEPT better tolerated than Exelon in patients with mild to moderate Alzheime...( First head-to-head study...),Health

First head-to-head study of ARICEPT (donepezil hydrochloride) and Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) offers comparative information of clinical use to physicians

Study patients treated according to approved product labeling

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 27, 2000 - Results from the first head-to-head study between ARICEPT (donepezil hydrochloride) (Eisai and Pfizer Inc) and Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) (Novartis Pharma AG) showed that in this open-label study ARICEPT was better tolerated than Exelon in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease. Data were presented at a scientific conference earlier this month in Munich, Germany.

"Despite the often devastating nature of the disease, tolerability is still very important to patients with Alzheimer's disease," said David Wilkinson, MD, director of the Memory Assessment and Research Centre, Moorgreen Hospital, Southampton, England, and an investigator in the study. Patients tend to be elderly and often have other medical conditions that can make treating Alzheimers disease more complex. It is therefore important to treat patients with medications that are well tolerated and easy to use, such as ARICEPT.

The multinational, head-to-head, open-label study was designed to compare the tolerability and ease of use of ARICEPT to Exelon in 111 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease.

The two treatment groups had similar improvements from baseline in Alzheimers Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) scores throughout the 12-week treatment period. ADAS-cog is a clinically validated measure of cognitive function. Testing was administered by independent raters who were blinded to study medication.

Key study findings:

• Almost 4 times as many patients in the Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate)-treatment group reported nausea compared with the ARICEPT (donepezil hydrochloride)-treatment group (41.8% vs 10.7%). '"/>