Written question asked by Howard Stoate (Labour) on Thursday, 9 February 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 February 2006. It was answered by Jane Kennedy (Labour) on Thursday, 2 March 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Alzheimer's Disease

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the (a) safety and (b) efficacy of memantine for use with moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease patients; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: Memantine was approved for marketing throughout the European Community in May 2002 under the brand names Axura and Ebixa for the treatment of patients with moderately severe to sever Alzheimer's disease. This regulatory approval was based on evidence of satisfactory product quality, safety and efficacy and that the benefit/risk profile of the product was favourable when treating this disease.The approval process was carried out by teams of experts within the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products under a community regulatory procedure and lead by experts from Spain and Portugal.Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on memantine and other drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease is expected to be issued later this year.

Secondary information