Alzheimer's Disease Drug Now Available in New Dosage Strengths

All 4 dosage strengths of memantine and donepezil hydrochlorides (Namzaric) extended-release capsules are now available by prescription at US pharmacies.

Allergan and Adamas Pharmaceuticals have launched Namzaric in 30-count bottles in 7 mg/10 mg, 14 mg/10 mg, 21 mg/10 mg, and 28 mg/10 mg dosage strengths. The drug is indicated to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease in patients stabilized on 10 mg of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept) once daily.

“Namzaric offers these patients the benefits of combining 2 products that each work differently to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, without increasing the number of pills a patient and their caregiver need to administer each day,” said Gavin Corcoran, MD, chief medical officer at Allergan, in a press release.

Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that combination therapy with a NMDA receptor agonist, such as memantine hydrochloride extended-release, and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI), such as donepezil hydrochloride, demonstrated greater improvement in cognition and global function verses an AChEI alone.

Around three-quarters of patients with Alzheimer’s are in the moderate to severe stages of the disease, but only one-third are on combination therapy. Namzaric’s new indication and dosage strengths were approved by the FDA back in July 2016.

The most common adverse effects associated with Namzaric are headache, diarrhea, and dizziness. Nausea and vomiting may occur in patients for up to 3 weeks. For this reason, patients should be observed closely during this period.