First generic of new Alzheimer‘s treatment: Rivastigmine transdermal patch

  On September 25, NMPA released information on the delivery of drug certification documents, and the Rivastigmine transdermal patch of Beijing Tide Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of China Biopharmaceutical, was approved for marketing. It is understood that the drug can be used to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer‘s disease.

  Rivastigmine, also known as carboplatin, is a novel carbamate brain-selective cholinesterase inhibitor for the treatment of Alzheimer‘s disease (AD), which can be used to improve cognitive function in patients by inhibiting the activity of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase and reducing the degradation of acetylcholine, thereby increasing acetylcholine levels in the central nervous system, and can be used in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer‘s disease and Parkinson‘s disease. The drug is primarily administered orally or through a transdermal patch, where the transdermal patch form of administration reduces the occurrence of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.

  In October 2023, Luye Pharma’s 5.1 imported product “Rivastigmine transdermal patch (2x/W)” was approved for marketing, while the single-day transdermal patch was approved for marketing in 2022 in China. Tide‘s Rivastigmine transdermal patch

 is the first domestic generic drug approved for marketing in China.

  Nowadays, China‘s population aging speed up, related cardiovascular diseases and a variety of factors, the number of patients with Alzheimer‘s disease as well as the prevalence of the increasing trend is obvious.

  The prediction of the development trend of Alzheimer‘s disease and other forms of dementia in China shows that in 2030, 2040 and 2050, the number of AD patients among people aged 60 and above in China will reach 19.11 million, 24.71 million and 27.65 million respectively.

  Research on Alzheimer‘s disease has been conducted for decades, and the existing treatments are mainly symptomatic, with three main categories of commonly used drugs.

  Cholinesterase inhibitors: donepezil, carboplatin, galantamine, etc;

  NMDA receptor antagonists: memantine hydrochloride, etc;

  Antipsychotics: olanzapine, risperidone, etc.

  Usually, the above drugs can play arole in slowing down memory fading and improving patients‘ cognitive function. Other studies on the therapeutic use of Alzheimer‘s disease are ongoing.