Widely Used Alzheimer's Drugs Found Ineffective
 (HealthDayNews, 6/24/04)

Richard Gray of the University of Birmingham, UK, and team, randomly chose 486 Alzheimer's patients and assigned them to take either donepezil (Aricept), which is a cholinesterase inhibitor, or an inactive placebo. After an average of three years, just over 40% of subjects in both groups ended up hospitalized. Furthermore, the degree of disability, symptoms, adverse medical events and death rates were virtually the same for subjects in either group. The investigators say that prior studies conducted by drug companies had shown more positive results because they were flawed, since participants had not been randomly selected and the trials were too short, lasting only a matter of months. The researchers predict that the findings would likely hold true for the other cholinesterase inhibitors marketed by drug manufacturers.

(The Lancet, 6/26/04)