STUDY COMPARED EXELON PATCH WITH ORAL CAPSULE

An international study of the first transdermal patch for patients with Alzheimer's disease has shown that it may provide a promising new treatment approach. The six-month trial showed that the Exelon Patch provided benefits across a range of symptoms, and that the target dose was well tolerated.

Patients receiving Exelon Patch (rivastigmine transdermal patch) had significant improvements in memory and were better able to maintain everyday activities than those receiving placebo. They could also complete a concentration task up to 20 seconds faster compared with those taking placebo.

The Investigation of Transdermal Exelon in Alzheimer's disease (IDEAL) study was a 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trial to compare the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the once-daily Exelon Patch with conventional twice-daily Exelon capsules in patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease.

IDEAL was conducted in 21 countries and involved 100 centers and 1,195 patients aged 50 to 85 years old. Patients received Exelon either in capsules (6 mg twice-daily) or patches in two sizes, namely Patch 10 (9.5 mg over 24 hours) or Patch 20 (17.4 mg over 24 hours).