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Tolerability of Rivastigmine Before and After Switching From Oral Formulation to Transdermal Patch in Alzheimer's Dementia

A 52-week, Prospective, Multi-center, Open-label Study to Assess the Tolerability of Rivastigmine Before and After Switching From Oral Formulation to Transdermal Patch in Patients With Alzheimer's Dementia in a Controlled Titration Schedule

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01585272
Enrollment
121
Registered
2012-04-25
Start date
2012-08-31
Completion date
2015-06-30
Last updated
2018-04-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Alzheimer's Dementia

Keywords

Alzheimer's dementia, AD

Brief summary

This phase IIIb study is intended to implement a consistent treatment way for switching to Exelon transdermal patch from oral formulation of rivastigmine to stress the importance of (1) advantages of transdermal patch over conventional oral therapies: smooth drug delivery with reduced side effects;(2) encourage treatment compliance in the Alzheimer's dementia setting. This study is a single-arm, treatment-switched design. Eligible patients, who are under Exelon capsule 3 mg b.i.d. treatment for 4 weeks before Visit 2, will be recruited, followed by treatment switch from oral capsule to patch for 48 weeks maintenance treatment. During the maintenance period, the treatment will be initiated with Exelon Patch 4.6 mg/24 hours (Exelon Patch 5 cm\^2) for the first 24 weeks and the dose will be escalated to Exelon Patch 9.5 mg/24 hours (Exelon Patch 10 cm\^2) for another 24 weeks if well tolerated. Visits to assess safety are scheduled at baseline, 3 days, 1 week and 2 weeks after the first treatment switch, every 4 weeks until Week 40, and at the end of study (Week 52). The assessment to address the primary objective will focus on the safety of treatment switching (Week 0\ 28); however the safety assessment will be performed during the whole study period.

Interventions

DRUGENA713

Sponsors

Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* With diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. * Mini-Mental Status Examination score of 10-26 within 3 months before starting oral rivastigmine treatment. * A clinical diagnosis of probable AD according to NINCDS/ADRDA criteria. The brain scan (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) used for establishing that these criteria are met must have been available on the source document within one year prior to study participation. * Patients who are currently taking or planned to receive Exelon 3 mg capsule twice-daily treatment. * Written informed consent must be obtained before any assessment is performed. * If female, must be surgically sterile or at least one year post-menopausal. * Sufficient education to read, write, and communicate effectively. * Capable of complying with the requirements of the study

Exclusion criteria

* Any advanced, severe or unstable disease that could interfere with study evaluation or completion or put patient at special risk. * Any medical or neurological condition other than AD that could explain the patient's dementia (e.g., abnormal thyroid function tests, Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, posttraumatic conditions, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, syphilis). * Active uncontrolled peptic ulceration, or gastrointestinal bleeding, within the previous 3 months prior to visit 1. * A current diagnosis of active, uncontrolled seizure disorder. * A history within the past year or current diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease (e.g., stroke, transient ischemic attacks, aneurysms). * Bradycardia (\< 50 beats per minute), sick sinus syndrome, conduction deficits (S-A block, second or third degree A-V block) * Severe or unstable cardiovascular disease. * Use of other investigational drugs at the time of enrollment, or within 30 days or 5 half-lives of enrollment, whichever is longer. * History of hypersensitivity to any of the study drugs or to drugs of similar chemical classes, or other components of the formulation. * Current diagnosis of a systemic active skin disorder or lesion that would prevent accurate assessment of the adhesion and skin irritation potential of the patch. * Previous lack of efficacy with cholinesterase inhibitors. * History of malignancy of any organ system (other than localized basal cell carcinoma of the skin), treated or untreated, within the past 5 years, regardless of whether there is evidence of local recurrence or metastases. Patients with history of malignancy yet have been treated and defined as complete remission for more than 5 years are not excluded from study participation. * Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women. * Concurrently treated with succinylcholine, similar neuromuscular blocking agents or cholinergic agonists such as bethanechol 2 weeks before the start of study drug and during the treatment period.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Patients With Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events, and DeathBaseline through week 28The overall rate of adverse events reported from initiation through the first 28-week treatment period

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change From Baseline in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)Baselin, week 16, 28 and 52The changes in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) of patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with Exelon 5 cm\^2 Patch at Week 28 and Exelon 10 cm2 Patch at Week 52 versus baseline, the treatment-switching day at Week 4. MMSE is a multi-item instrument that examines orientation, registration, attention, calculation, recall, visuospatial ability and language. The total score can range from 0 to 30, with a higher score indicating better function. A positive change score indicates improvement from baseline. The assessments will be conducted at Visit 1, 2, 8, 11 and 17 (screening, Week 4 (baseline), 16, 28 and 52).
Change From Baseline in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog)Baseline, week 16, 28 and 52The changes in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) of patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with Exelon 5 cm\^2 Patch at Week 28 and Exelon 10 cm\^2 Patch at Week 52 versus baseline, the treatment-switching day at Week 4. ADAS-Cog has been used as the major cognitive measure of anti-dementia drugs. The total score range is 0 to 70 points, with higher scores indicating greater cognitive impairment. The assessments will be conducted at Visit, 2, 8, 11 and 17 (Week 4 (baseline), 16, 28 and 52).
The Discontinuation Rate Due to the Treatment Switching From Oral Capsule to Rivastigmine Patch TreatmentBaseline through week 52The discontinuation rate due to the treatment switching from oral capsule to patch treatment. For patients who discontinue earlier due to intolerance of patch treatment, the proportion will be analyzed. Both the discontinuation rate of 5 cm2 and 10 cm\^2 patch therapy will be presented.
Percentage of Patients Successfully Titrated to Rivastigmine Patch 10 cm^2Baseline through week 52The percentage of patients successfully titrated to rivastigmine patch 10 cm2

Countries

Taiwan

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Patients receiving Exelon patch 5 cm\^2 were more than those receiving Exelon capsule for 4 weeks as least, because some patients had interrupted Exelon capsule for few days in the middle of 4-week Exelon capsule treatment, but still switched to Exelon patch 5 cm2

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Rivastigmine
Eligible patients, who are under rivastigmine capsule 3 mg b.i.d. treatment for 4 weeks before Visit 2, will be recruited, followed by treatment switch from oral capsule to transdermal patch for 48 weeks maintenance treatment.
102
Total102

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000
Overall StudyAdverse Event22
Overall StudyProtocol Violation7
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject10

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicRivastigmine
Age, Continuous74.8 Years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.93
Sex: Female, Male
Female
52 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
50 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
83 / 102
serious
Total, serious adverse events
16 / 102

Outcome results

Primary

Number of Patients With Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events, and Death

The overall rate of adverse events reported from initiation through the first 28-week treatment period

Time frame: Baseline through week 28

Population: Safety population: All enrolled subjects who received 3 mg b.i.d Exelon capsule for more than 4 weeks and used at least one dose of Exelon patch therapy.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
RivastigmineNumber of Patients With Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events, and DeathPatients with at least one SAEs16 Participants
RivastigmineNumber of Patients With Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events, and DeathPatients with at least one AE94 Participants
RivastigmineNumber of Patients With Adverse Events, Serious Adverse Events, and DeathDeath0 Participants
Secondary

Change From Baseline in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog)

The changes in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) of patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with Exelon 5 cm\^2 Patch at Week 28 and Exelon 10 cm\^2 Patch at Week 52 versus baseline, the treatment-switching day at Week 4. ADAS-Cog has been used as the major cognitive measure of anti-dementia drugs. The total score range is 0 to 70 points, with higher scores indicating greater cognitive impairment. The assessments will be conducted at Visit, 2, 8, 11 and 17 (Week 4 (baseline), 16, 28 and 52).

Time frame: Baseline, week 16, 28 and 52

Population: ITT population: All enrolled subjects who received 3 mg b.i.d Exelon capsule orally for 4 weeks and at least one dose of Exelon patch therapy.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
RivastigmineChange From Baseline in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog)Week 16 (n=90)0.0 ScoreStandard Deviation 4.92
RivastigmineChange From Baseline in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog)Week 28 (n=82)0.4 ScoreStandard Deviation 5.2
RivastigmineChange From Baseline in Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog)Week 52 (n=93)0.8 ScoreStandard Deviation 7.37
Secondary

Change From Baseline in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)

The changes in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) of patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with Exelon 5 cm\^2 Patch at Week 28 and Exelon 10 cm2 Patch at Week 52 versus baseline, the treatment-switching day at Week 4. MMSE is a multi-item instrument that examines orientation, registration, attention, calculation, recall, visuospatial ability and language. The total score can range from 0 to 30, with a higher score indicating better function. A positive change score indicates improvement from baseline. The assessments will be conducted at Visit 1, 2, 8, 11 and 17 (screening, Week 4 (baseline), 16, 28 and 52).

Time frame: Baselin, week 16, 28 and 52

Population: ITT population: All enrolled subjects who received 3 mg b.i.d Exelon capsule orally for 4 weeks and at least one dose of Exelon patch therapy

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
RivastigmineChange From Baseline in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)Week 16 (n=90)-0.1 ScoreStandard Deviation 2.62
RivastigmineChange From Baseline in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)Week 28 (n=82)0.1 ScoreStandard Deviation 2.62
RivastigmineChange From Baseline in Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)Week 52 (n=93)-1.0 ScoreStandard Deviation 3.48
Secondary

Percentage of Patients Successfully Titrated to Rivastigmine Patch 10 cm^2

The percentage of patients successfully titrated to rivastigmine patch 10 cm2

Time frame: Baseline through week 52

Population: Safety population: All enrolled subjects who received 3 mg b.i.d Exelon capsule for more than 4 weeks and used at least one dose of Exelon patch therapy.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
RivastigminePercentage of Patients Successfully Titrated to Rivastigmine Patch 10 cm^285.3 Percentage of participants
Secondary

The Discontinuation Rate Due to the Treatment Switching From Oral Capsule to Rivastigmine Patch Treatment

The discontinuation rate due to the treatment switching from oral capsule to patch treatment. For patients who discontinue earlier due to intolerance of patch treatment, the proportion will be analyzed. Both the discontinuation rate of 5 cm2 and 10 cm\^2 patch therapy will be presented.

Time frame: Baseline through week 52

Population: Of the patients treated, N=121, number of patients analyzied were those who received 5cm patch (n=114) and those who received 10cm patch (n=96)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
RivastigmineThe Discontinuation Rate Due to the Treatment Switching From Oral Capsule to Rivastigmine Patch TreatmentExelon patch 10 cm 2: Week 28 - Week 5214 Participants
RivastigmineThe Discontinuation Rate Due to the Treatment Switching From Oral Capsule to Rivastigmine Patch TreatmentExelon patch 5 cm 2:Week 4 - Week 2818 Participants

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026