FDA Looking at Aricept Study

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is examining the results of a study of the drug Aricept, which is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

The study of 974 patients suffering from dementia, found 11 deaths occurred among patients taking Aricept, while no deaths occurred among those taking the placebo, The New York Times reported Friday.

Susan Bro, a spokeswoman for the FDA, said the agency is examining the results of the study. The agency undertook a review of earlier Aricept studies and found no cause for concern, she said.

However, medical experts say the new study should not be dismissed and it might indicate that Aricept and similar drugs increased the risks of heart disease, the Times said.

No other large trials of the drug have found a similar risk, but that does not mean such a risk is absent, according to Dr. Lon Schneider, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and gerontology at the University of Southern California. Few trials have followed patients for long enough, or included enough patients with serious heart problems, to uncover a mild increase in heart risk, the experts told the Times.