Exelon is first drug for Parkinson’s disease dementia

pharmafile | May 24, 2006 | News story | Research and Development  

Exelon has been launched as the first ever treatment for mild to moderately severe dementia associated with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

The drug, marketed by Novartis, is already established as a treatment for mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's disease, but is now available as the first and only treatment for Parkinson's disease dementia.

There are approximately 120,000 people with Parkinsons disease in the UK and at any one time, up to 40% of these patients will suffer from varying levels of dementia.

"This is extremely encouraging news for patients affected by Parkinson's disease who then develop dementia," said Dr Jane Byrne, Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester and Honorary Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry at the Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester.

"For many patients with Parkinson's disease, the dementia symptoms cause more distress for them and their carers than the physical symptoms. Now for the first time, there is a treatment proven to be clinically effective in some patients available for us to use. "

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