NICE issues guidance backing broader use of AD drugs
The U.K.'s NICE issued final guidance that allows for the broadened use of four Alzheimer's disease drugs that were restricted in 2006 guidance. NICE recommends the use of three acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for their licensed indication of mild to moderate AD: Aricept donepezil from Eisai Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4523; Osaka:4523) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE); Razadyne ( Reminyl) galantamine from Shire plc (LSE:SHP; NASDAQ:SHPGY) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ); and Exelon rivastigmine from Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN).
NICE also recommends Ebixa memantine from H. Lundbeck A/S (CSE:LUN), Neurobiological Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:NTII) and Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA (Frankfurt, Germany) to treat severe AD as well as moderate AD in patients who are intolerant of or have a contraindication to AChE inhibitors. The final guidance is in line with an appraisal issued last year (see BioCentury Extra, May, 26, 2006). ...