A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, discovered a combination of the drugs dextromethorphan and quinidine may reduce agitation in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The combo drug is marketed under the name Nuedexta. The study was led by Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

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The drug will be sent for clinical phase trials to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. If approved it will be the first FDA-approved drug to treat agitation in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer patients may experience agitation which can be stressful both for the patients and the caregivers.

According to DailyRx, Nuedexta is approved for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect, which is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary episodes of crying or laughing.

The study's phase was divided into two five-week intervals. During the first interval, participants were given either Nuedexta or a placebo; while on the second interval, some participants who were on the placebo were switched to Nuedexta.

At the end of the second interval, 55 percent of the participants showed 50 percent less agitation and almost 65 percent showed 30 percent less agitation.

Moreover, caregivers whose patients were given Nuedexta showed less stress level than those whose patients were given the placebo.

The clinical innovation in this area is imperative as there are not many options for treating symptoms of agitation in patients with Alzheimer.

"The Ruvo center will not participate in the upcoming clinical phase of the DM/Q trial because the researchers are committed to another federal project," Cummings declared in an interview to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

TagsAlzheimer, Alzheimer Disease, Alzheimer New Medicine, New drug Discovery, Agitation In Alzheimer