Pfizer, Medivation start phase 3 trial of Alzheimer’s disease treatment

SAN FRANCISCO Pfizer and Medivation have started a phase 3 trial of the investigational drug Dimebon, the two companies announced Wednesday.

The one-year, 1,050-patient study will investigate the drug as an addition to Aricept (donepezil) for treating Alzheimer’s disease. The phase 3 study will follow a smaller safety and tolerability trial of the drug combination that found it to be well-tolerated.

“Due to the complexity of Alzheimer’s disease, the condition often requires combination treatment to help relieve symptoms and slow disease progression,” said Bengt Winblad, professor of geriatrics at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.

Dimebon was originally developed in Russia 25 years ago as an antihistamine. A study presented last July at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease suggested the drug could stabilize Alzheimer’s disease.