New patch formulation of Alzheimer's drug brought to market in Canada

From the Canadian Press:
A new treatment option for Alzheimer's patients - the first licensed skin patch - could make life easier for both some people with the disease and their caregivers, experts say.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. announced Tuesday it was bringing to the Canadian market a once-a-day skin patch formulation of its existing drug Exelon.

Exelon - its generic name is rivastigmine - currently is administered in the form of capsules which must be taken twice a day. Novartis said both the once-a-day formulation and the fact it is administered via a patch will help reduce the risk of confusion over whether the medication had been taken or not. ...more

FDA approves patch to treat dementia

From CBC News:
The first patch to treat the dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease was approved Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The prescription patch from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. contains the drug Exelon, or rivastigmine, currently available in Canada and the U.S. in an oral solution and in capsule form.

The oral and capsule medications have already been approved for use in both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease patients, to treat symptoms of mild to moderate dementia such as impaired thinking and memory loss. ...more