Rivastigmine in outpatient services: experience of 114 neurologists in Austria

We performed an open-label study in Alzheimer patients on the use of rivastigmine in clinical routine. We evaluated the mode of dosing, safety and response to treatment over 24 weeks in 529 Alzheimer patients recruited by 114 neurologists. At the start of the study, and after 12 and 24 weeks, the participants were tested with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Global Deterioration Scale. Titration of rivastigmine was slower than expected: After 2 weeks, only 41.8% of subjects received an effective daily dose of at least 6 mg. A total of 33.8% of patients experienced 305 mostly transient adverse events of mild or moderate intensity. Gastrointestinal symptoms occurred in 30.4% of subjects and symptoms of the nervous system in 16.4%. Similar to controlled trials, the cognitive performance of patients improved, with more than 60% of subjects showing improvement from baseline on the Mini-Mental State Examination by week 24. More than 40% of patients showed improvement on the Global Deterioration Scale. This study suggests that, in daily clinical practice, titration of rivastigmine deviates from the prescribing information. Under routine conditions, the safety profile of the drug is favourable, as is the response to treatment.