Update on Cholinesterase Inhibitors and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

The long-term studies of the cholinesterase inhibitors, Aricept (donepezil), Razadyne (galantamine) and Exelon (rivastigmine), support their ability to delay Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression during the dementia stage by 1, 1.5, and 2.5 years respectively, which underscores the importance of early detection to optimize quality of life. Cholinesterase inhibitors reduce caregiving burden by delaying AD progression. A one-year randomized study showed that caregivers spent 12 hours per day taking care of AD patients receiving placebo, whereas those receiving Aricept required 10.1 hours of caregiving daily. This difference amounted to an extra 10 weeks of caregiving per year for untreated AD patients [1].