New Alzheimer's Drug Signals A Coming Increase In Research

Sidebar: For Further Information A mere two drugs currently are available for people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and the second, Aricept, was approved only recently. Observers call Aricept a clear improvement over the first medication, Cognex, and are optimistic that it will spur more research into Alzheimer's treatments, opening up more job opportunities for scientists studying the catastrophic brain disease. But they caution against high hopes, as there still is no way to stop its pr

Written byThomas Durso

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Sidebar: For Further Information

NEW & IMPROVED: Aricept, only the second FDA-approved Alzheimer's drug, has fewer side effects than its predecessor.

Aricept was developed by the Eisai Co. of Japan and is being sold in the United States by Pfizer Inc. of New York under a joint agreement. Its approval from the Food and Drug Administration came in late November.

Both Aricept and Cognex--which is made by Parke-Davis, a division of Morris Plains, N.J.-based Warner Lambert Co.--work by inhibiting a brain enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE). AChE breaks down acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that helps brain cells to communicate with each other. Acetylcholine has been found to be absent in people with Alzheimer's, and by curbing its breakdown, Aricept and Cognex help many of these patients to retain memories for longer periods.

While Cognex must be administered four times daily and can have serious side effects, including liver toxicity, Aricept must ...

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