Comparative effectiveness and safety of cognitive enhancers for treating Alzheimer’s dementia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Tricco AC, Ashoor HM, Soobiah C, Rios P, Veroniki AA, Hamid JS, Ivory JD, Khan PA, Yazdi F, Ghassemi M, Blondal E, Ho JM, Ng CH, Hemmelgarn B, Majumdar SR, Perrier L, Straus SE. Comparative effectiveness and safety of cognitive enhancers for treating Alzheimer’s dementia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. JAGS. July 2017.
Bottom Line:
- Donepezil is likely the most effective agent for Alzheimer’s dementia across all effectiveness outcomes examined
- The agents did not increase serious adverse events but were associated with an increased risk of side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headache, which may result in decreased quality of life and cessation of therapy
Impact:
- Our results can be used by patients and physicians to tailor administration of these agents
- Commissioned by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network to inform the listing of these agents by the Ontario Public Drug Program
- Featured in >30 mass media articles
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)/ Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN)
Efficacy and safety of cognitive enhancers for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Tricco AC, Soobiah C, Berliner S, Ho JM, Ng CH, Ashoor HM, Chen MH, Hemmelgarn B, Straus SE. Efficacy and safety of cognitive enhancers for patients with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. CMAJ. 2013;185(16):1393-401. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.130451.
Altmetric:
Bottom Line:
- Patients taking cognitive enhancers experienced significantly more nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches compared to those on placebo. There were no differences in major adverse events between those taking cognitive enhancers and placebo. No improvements in cognition, function or mortality were identified among patients who used cognitive enhancers
Impact:
- Influenced the decision to continue delisting cognitive enhancers for mild cognitive impairment
- Informed the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Healthcare guidelines on screening for cognitive impairment in older adults
- Featured in >150 mass media articles
Protocol:
Additional Resources:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)/ Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network (DSEN)
Category : KS Projects
Date : 22 Mar 2016