Memantine (Ebixa) in clinical practice - results of an observational study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS In a post-marketing observational study, the efficacy and tolerability of memantine were examined in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. METHODS The patients were treated with 20 mg/day of memantine for a 6-month period. The efficacy of memantine was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Nurses' Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients (NOSGER) and the Explorationsmodul Demenz (EMD) scale. In addition, a global assessment was made by the physician. RESULTS After 6 months of open-label treatment with memantine, the patients' cognitive function, ability to perform daily activities and global performance all showed a marked improvement. In the overall evaluation by the physician, improvement or stabilisation had been achieved by 78.8% of patients after 6 months of therapy. Memantine also demonstrated an excellent tolerability profile. CONCLUSION The results of this naturalistic study support the significant efficacy and tolerability of memantine that has been previously demonstrated in randomised, controlled clinical Alzheimer's disease trials.