Medical, Drugs, Pharmaceuticals And Diseases Information

Memantine is the first and a novel class of Alzheimer’s disease medications acting on the glutamatergic system by blocking NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid) glutamate receptors. Memantine was first synthesized and patented by Eli Lilly and Company in 1968. Memantine is available under the brands Axura and Akatinol by Merz, Namenda by Forest , Ebixa and Abixa by Lundbeck and Memox by Unipharm.

Although memantine is approved for treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease its usage has been not advised by UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence, on the grounds that its high cost outweighs the benefits of treatment in most patients. Memantine has been associated with a moderate decrease in clinical deterioration in Alzheimer’s disease. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials found that memantine has a small positive effect on cognition, mood, behaviour, and the ability to perform daily activities in moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, but an unknown effect in mild to moderate disease.