
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993                   TAG: 9309100114
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

FDA APPROVES 1ST DRUG FOR ALZHEIMER'S

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating brain ailment that robs millions of elderly Americans of their memory, independence and dignity.

Tacrine hydrochloride, or THA, which will be marketed under the brand name Cognex, has been shown in two trials to provide small but meaningful benefit for some patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

"Tacrine is the first drug shown to have some effect on the disease's devastating symptoms," FDA Commissioner David Kessler said in a statement. "It is not a cure for Alzheimer's disease, but it provides some relief for patients and their families."

Its manufacturer, Warner-Lambert Co. of Morris Plains, N.J., said the drug could be available within weeks. It is expected to cost about $1,500 a year.

Alzheimer's disease is believed to afflict as many as 4 million Americans, most of them elderly. - Los Angeles Times

by CNB