NICE reiterates stance on AD drugs

The U.K.'s NICE issued a final appraisal determination (FAD) that reiterated 2006 guidance restricting access to four Alzheimer's disease drugs. The FAD limits use of three acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors to patients with moderately severe disease: 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). The drugs are approved for mild to moderately severe AD.

NICE also reiterated that Ebixa memantine should only be used in clinical trials. The NMDA receptor antagonist from H. Lundbeck A/S (CSE:LUN), Neurobiological Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:NTII) and Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA (Frankfurt, Germany) is approved to treat moderate to severe AD. The deadline to appeal the FAD is July 1. The FAD can be found at http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/TA111AlzheimersFAD.pdf ...