NICE recommends drugs for moderate Alzheimer's disease

Cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease should be considered in the treatment of patients with moderately severe disease but not for those with milder symptoms, says revised draft guidance issued this week for the NHS in England. The guidance follows a review of a first draft that had advised against the use of these drugs at all in the disease.

The latest guidance recommends that donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine should be considered in the treatment of people with Alzheimer's disease of moderate severity, defined as those with a minimental state examination score of 10-20 points.

Memantine, an N-methyl-D-aspartic acid antagonist, was not recommended as a treatment option for people with moderately severe or severe Alzheimer's disease except as …