Archive 1995–2023
2013, volume 29, issue 3–4
Review article
Pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Farmakoterapia w Psychiatrii i Neurologii, 2013, 3–4, 141–150
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, memantine, combined treatment, pharmacogenetics
Summary
The paper presents a short review of present-day drugs used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and the main directions for future research in this area. An application of combined therapy directed against various targets in the pathomechanism of neurodegeneration, along with the efforts to develop drugs able to act simultaneously and improve various targets of neurodegeneration, are discussed. Data on clinical benefi ts of the simultaneous application of esterase inhibitors (donepezil) and NMDA receptor blockers (memantine) in Alzheimer’s disease is also provided. The authors discuss the importance of pharmacogenetics in individualized choice of anti-dementia drugs, with consideration given to their safety and clinical efficacy.