Deterioration, double-blind trial

Acetyl-i-carnitine (4) is marketed in Italy for dementia as of this writing it is also in Phase III clinical trials in the United States and Europe. In a double-blind, placebo-controUed clinical trial over a one-year period involving 130 patients with clinically diagnosed AD, a slower rate of deterioration in 13 of the 14 outcome measures was observed in the dmg-treated group (28). Earfler smaller scale pilot studies in demented patients had also shown some improvement of various behavioral and cognitive functions (29). 

Aniracetam (6), launched in 1993 in both Japan and Italy for the treatment of cognition disorders, is in Phase II trials in the United States as of this writing. In clinical studies it has been shown to cause some improvement in elderly patients with mild to moderate mental deterioration (63), and in geriatric patients with cerebral insufficiency (64). In a multicenter double-blind placebo-controUed trial involving 109 patients with probable AD, positive effects were observed in 36% of patients after six months of treatment (65), a result repeated in a separate study of 115 patients (66). A review of the biological and pharmacokinetic properties, and clinical results of aniracetam treatment in cognitively impaired individuals is available (49). 

---