Galantamine: an update

Abstract

SUMMARY Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that impairs cognitive function. Currently, the main purpose of pharmacological treatment is to slow down the progression by relieving its symptoms. Galantamine is one of the three cholinesterase inhibitors that are commonly used, either alone or in conjunction with memantine, to treat AD. Four fixed-dose pivotal trials with the immediate-release form and one with the extended-release form established its effectiveness in treating mild-to-moderate AD, without causing excessive adverse events. Both forms possess similar efficacy, but the extended-release form has better compliance.