The drug donepezil, approved for use only in the mild to moderate stages of Alzheimer’s disease, could benefit patients in the later stages of the disease, researchers at King’s College London have found.

The study assessed the effects of two Alzheimer’s drugs — donepezil (Aricept) and memantine (Ebixa or Axura). Donepezil is currently licensed in the UK for use in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, while memantine is used in people in the moderate and severe stages of the disease. Both drugs can help with some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

The researchers tested the participants’ cognition and their functional ability (the ability to carry out everyday tasks) several times over the course of the trial, and at the end of the study. They found those who continued taking donepezil showed less decline than those who stopped taking the drug. Meanwhile, those who took memantine also showed some benefit compared to those on a placebo, although the effect was smaller than those on donepezil.

Ref.: Robert Howard et al., Donepezil and Memantine for Moderate-to-Severe Alzheimer’s Disease, New England Journal of Medicine, 2012 [DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1106668]