FDA Approves First Drug to Help Patients with Parkinson’s Di

August 2006 (Medialink) — Statistics: According to the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), dementia is one of the complications most feared by Parkinson’s disease patients and caregivers. Of the 1.5 million Americans living with the disease, an estimated 40% develop dementia. Story: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) for the treatment of mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease dementia, making it the first approved medication available for the treatment of this condition. The risk of developing dementia is approximately four to six times higher among Parkinson’s patients than among elderly people without the disease. The primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease dementia include cognitive impairment and neuro-psychiatric symptoms (eg, depression, hallucinations, anxiety and apathy). These symptoms impact the patient’s quality of life, course of the disease and caregiver distress. While this drug is now being used to treat Parkinson’s patients with dementia, for years it has been used to in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Produced for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation