Skin patch offers better life
for dementia patients

Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease dementia are two of the more common forms of dementia, a cognitive disorder that often develops in older people and is characterized by loss of memory, impairment of judgment and thinking, and behavioral changes.

The first and only skin patch approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease dementia offers improved quality of life for patients with dementia and their family.

Professor Serge Gauthier is a neurologist and dementia specialist who is the first director of Canada’s McGill Center for Studies in Aging. "With its proven efficacy, better tolerability, and enhanced dosing convenience, rivastigmine transdermal patch enables patients to perform their usual daily activities thereby easing the burden of family members caring for them," says Professor Gauthier during the media launch of the breakthrough dementia treatment in Ayala Museum in Makati City.

He also said that current oral medications for dementia often cause side effects that lead to poor patient compliance and compromised outcomes. "Rivastigmine transdermal patch helps patients stick to their treatment regimen and, therefore, improve treatment success," he added.

Alzheimer’s disease places a heavy burden not only on the patient but his or her entire family as well. "Other than the patient, the greatest impact is on the primary caregiver who has to care for the patient 24 hours a day," Gauthier explained. "Spouses of patients with Alzheimer’s disease are likely to be older people themselves, and may have difficulty coping with the situation. The burden of caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s disease often interferes with the professional, family and social roles of children or young relatives of the patient."

About 5 million Filipinos today are aged 60 and above; by 2030, the National Statistics Office predicts this figure to reach almost 15 million. "With the number of elderly Filipinos increasing, dementia should be considered an important public health issue," said Dr. Marasigan , president of the Dementia Society of the Philippines .

A product of Swiss research-based healthcare company Novartis, rivastigmine transdermal patch is a once-daily skin patch that offers potential for additional benefits over oral medications with its smooth and continuous drug delivery over 24 hours. It can reduce side effects and provide easier access to optimal therapeutic doses, with potential improvements in efficacy.

Rivastigmine transdermal patch offers a unique treatment solution to patients with trouble swallowing or those who are already taking a variety of pills. By improving cognition and functioning and delaying institutionalization, it is more cost-effective than best supportive care. It is also priced competitively with the capsule formulation.

Results of an international study, the Investigation of Transdermal Exelon in Alzheimer’s disease (IDEAL), showed that nearly 1,200 Alzheimer’s patients on rivastigmine transdermal patch had significant improvements in memory and thinking and were better able to perform everyday activities than those receiving placebo.

Rivastigmine transdermal patch was preferred to capsules by more than 70 percent of family members as a method of drug delivery because it helped them follow the treatment schedule, interfered less with their daily life, and was easier to use overall than an oral medication. The patch is applied daily to the upper back, chest and upper arm, demonstrating good skin tolerability and stayed on very well throughout the day, even after bathing and in hot weather.

"Novartis has pioneered significant advances in the treatment of neurological disorders in the last 50 years. Rivastigmine transdermal patch epitomizes our company’s commitment to improve people’s lives through effective, innovative medicines," said Peter Goldschmidt, Novartis Philippines president & CEO.