Was Delayed For Closeto 2 Years In Alzheimer’s Patients Treated With Leading Alzheimer’s Medication (NAPSA)—Persistent treatment with ARICEPT (donepezil hydrochloride) may have delayed dementia-related nursing home lion a yearin the U.S., with most of these costs related to nursing home care. The average annual months), according to a new costs of nursing home care are estimated at more than $42,000 a year (1996 costs) per person. While Medicare, Medicaid, and sented recently at the 14” annual the direct cost, caregivers’ costs placement for Alzheimer’s pa- tients for close to 2 years (21 study. These results were pre- meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Delaying nursing homeplacement for any reason may have benefits to families and society by lessening emotional and financial burdensassociated with caring for Alzheimer’s disease patients. “As Alzheimer’s disease pro- gresses, the burdens of caregiving may simply become too great, and families may be faced with the difficult decision to place their loved one in a nursing home,” said David Geldmacher, M.D., Clinical Direc- tor, University Alzheimer Center, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve Univer- sity. “This study showed that persistent treatment with ARICEPT may have allowed patients to stay at home with their families longer before requiring the skilled care andfull-time supervision of a nurs- ing home.” “Also, these findings reinforce the importance of beginningtreatment with ARICEPT as early as possible in the disease process and maintaining that treatment for long-term benefits, as medically appropriate,” Dr. Geldmachercontinued. ARICEPT, the no. 1 prescribed Alzheimer’s medication, is a clini- cally proven, well-tolerated, oncedaily treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. “Our doctor put my husband on ARICEPT [as part of a clinical private insurance bear much of can still be substantial. Information about the Delay to Nursing Home Placement Study In this study, the time to placement in a nursing home was ana- lyzed for 671 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease who had participated in 1 of 3 clinical trials with ARICEPT versus a sugar pill, followed by studies where everyone took ARICEPT. Patients’ caregivers were interviewed to tive disease such as Alzheimer’s, improvement, stabilization or a less-than-expected decline is considered a positive response to treatment. These types of re- sponses have been observed in patients treated with ARICEPT in clinical trials. Individual responses to treatment mayvary. “These findings reinforce the importance of beginning treatment as early as possible in the disease processand maintaining that treatment for long-term effective treatment (5 mg or 10 mg a day) with ARICEPT during the maynot be for everyone. Some people may experience nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, vomiting, muscle cramps, fatigue, or loss of appetite. In studies, these side effects were weeks or more. Patients were categorized according to the length of clinical trials and follow-up studies. Using statistical analyses, times to nursing home placement for dementia-related reasons were estimated based on different periods of drug treatment. These time estimates took into account each patient’s age, gender, and severity of illness as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)* scores at entry into a benefits...” Dr. Geldmacher @ ARICEPT is well tolerated but usually mild and temporary. Some people taking ARICEPT may experi- ence fainting. People at risk for ulcers should tell their doctors because their condition may get worse. It is estimated that 1 in 10 individuals older than age 65 has clinical trial, as well as change in Alzheimer’s disease. Approxi- other cholinesterase-inhibiting thought to have Alzheimer’s dis- caregiver and the patient’s use of drugs after completing participation in the ARICEPT clinicaltrials. This study showed that pa- tients who received ARICEPT for longer periods (an effective dose of trial] shortly after he was diagnosed in 1994, and he has been on treatment ever since,” said carement bought us more quality time at home together, and we’re both (sugar pill, or less than 5 mg a day, or at least 5 mg a day for less very grateful for that.” Alzheimer’s disease exacts a major toll on society, with direct dollar costs estimated at $29 bil- patient function in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. In a progressively degenera- obtain information on the dates and reasons for nursing home placements that lasted for two at least 5 mg a day for at least 9 to 12 months) had a 21-month longer delay in nursing home placement than patients who giver Janet Farr. “Early treat- ments are available to manage symptoms of the disease. Once-aday prescription ARICEPT can improve cognition and maintain received no or limited ARICEPT than 80 percentof the time during a clinical trial). While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, medical treat- mately 4 million Americans are ease; by the year 2050, it is esti- mated that nearly 14 million Americans will suffer from the disease. To date, more than 1.4 million people in the United States have received a prescription for ARI- CEPT contributing to a total of 450 million days of patient use worldwide. For more information about managing Alzheimer’s disease and about ARICEPT, please call the Eisai Inc.-and Pfizer Inc.sponsored toll-free number, (888) 999-9616, or see www.aricept.com. * MMSE—Aclinically validated measure of cognition. Note to Editor: Full prescribing information attached and available at www.aricept.com.
