Combo Alzheimer's drug that delays nursing home admission would earn higher patient share in the USA than Europe

For the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, a combination therapy that delays nursing home admission at 19 months would earn 43 percent patient share, according to surveyed US neurologists carried out by advisory firm Decision Resources. In comparison, in Europe, such an agent would earn a slightly lower patient share of 30 percent, according to surveyed European neurologists. This lower share estimate is possibly a result of higher price sensitivity of European markets.

The new report, entitled Alzheimer's Disease (Moderate to Severe): Significant Opportunity Awaits Novel Agents Offering Only Incremental Efficacy and Delivery Advantages, also finds that the Pfizer/Medivation's Dimebon plus donepezil (Eisai/Pfizer's Aricept, Bracco's Memac) combination earns Decision Resources' proprietary clinical gold-standard status for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease in 2013, following Dimebon's approval for Alzheimer's in 2012. The Dimebon/donepezil combination has competitive advantages in efficacy - including effect on cognition, the highest-weighted efficacy outcome by surveyed neurologists - over the current gold standard combination donepezil plus memantine (Merz/Grupo Grunenthal's Axura/Akatinol, Lundbeck's Ebixa, Forest Laboratories' Namenda).

"Surveyed neurologists say that a therapy's effect on cognitive decline is the attribute that most influences their prescribing decisions in moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease," stated Decision Resources analyst Matthew Winton. "Clinical data and the opinions of interviewed thought leaders indicate that the Dimebon plus donepezil combination has advantages over the sales-leading memantine plus donepezil combination on this attribute,' he added.