Review: Drug Class Review on Alzheimer’s Drugs

There is a review on medication for Alzheimer’s Disease which is freely available here. The review is from 2006 and so it is a little dated but still contains a useful summary of the data for that period that can be used with other sources to interpret more recent studies particularly as there are a number of general principles that are used in the analysis. The researchers have a clearly structured methodology and outline the databases they have consulted. They aim to answer four questions: How do the different drugs compare in efficacyand effectiveness?, How do they compare in time to effect?, What does a comparison of adverse effects reveal? and how are efficacy, effectiveness and adverse effects influenced by a number of other variables including demographics? The researchers have reviewed a large number of documents and so the results are necessarily complex although well summarised in table 8.  There are a number of interesting points that can be picked up along the way – for instance the use of memantine in Germany as far back as 1989 or the problems inherent in the use of last observation carried forward (LOCF) in the analysis of a degenerative condition. The clear and detailed structure of the methodology and the review itself offer a useful template for further related reviews.

Index: An index of the site can be found here. The page contains links to all of the articles in the blog in chronological order. Twitter: You can follow ‘The Amazing World of Psychiatry’ Twitter by clicking on this link. Podcast: You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast). It is available for a limited period. TAWOP Channel: You can follow the TAWOP Channel on YouTube by clicking on this link. Responses: If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk. Disclaimer: The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.