Cognitive performance in Alzheimer's disease patients receiving rivastigmine for up to 5 years

This analysis aimed to assess mini‐mental state examination (MMSE) scores in patients with Alzheimer's disease who received rivastigmine, an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, for up to 5 years. Rivastigmine data came from two pooled open‐label extensions of four 6‐month, randomised, placebo‐controlled trials. Projections of decline, had the same patients not been treated, were made using a baseline‐dependent mathematical model. MMSE data were available for 1998 rivastigmine‐treated patients and 657, 298 and 83 were still on treatment at 3, 4 and 5 years, respectively. The mean (±SD) baseline MMSE score was 19.3 (±4.9). Projected mean scores in model‐based untreated patients declined below 10 points on the MMSE at about 3 years, while the mean MMSE score of patients who remained on rivastigmine stayed above 10 points for 5 years.