Ebixa (memantine): drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer Scotland Information Sheet IS20

Memantine (marketed as Ebixa) is the newest drug treatment currently available in the UK for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Ebixa is the name given to the particular brand of memantine marketed by a company called Lundbeck Ltd. It is licensed for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.

Ebixa is not claimed to be a cure for Alzheimer's disease. It treats only the symptoms and there is no evidence to show that it could halt or reverse the process of cell damage that causes Alzheimer's disease.

Recent (2011) guidance from NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) says that Ebixa is recommended as a treatment option for people with moderate Alzheimer’s disease who are unable to tolerate or take any of the cholinesterase inhibitors drugs licensed for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl) and for people with severe Alzheimer’s disease.