A multinational, randomised, 12‐week study comparing the effects of donepezil and galantamine in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease

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Abstract
Objectives To compare directly, in the same patient cohort, the ease of use and tolerability of donepezil and galantamine in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and investigate the effects of both treatments on cognition and activities of daily living (ADL). Methods Patients with mild to moderate AD from 14 European centres were randomised to receive open‐label donepezil (up to 10 mg once daily) or galantamine (up to 12 mg twice daily) for 12 weeks, according to the approved product labelling. Physicians and caregivers completed questionnaires rating satisfaction with treatment/ease of use in daily practice. Secondary assessments were the ADAS‐cog, the MMSE, and the DAD scale to assess ADL. Tolerability was evaluated by reporting adverse events (AEs). Results Both physicians and caregivers reported significantly greater overall satisfaction/ease of use for donepezil (n = 64) compared with galantamine (n = 56) at weeks 4, 12, and endpoint (week 12 LOCF; all p‐values p‐values p‐values vs 25% donepezil patients. Conclusions Physician and caregiver ease of use/satisfaction scores, and assessments of cognition and ADL, showed significant benefits for donepezil compared with galantamine in this direct comparative trial. Both treatments were well tolerated, with more gastrointestinal AEs reported for galantamine vs donepezil. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.