ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Research done at St. Louis University School of Medicine as part of a national study helps lead to FDA approval of a new treatment for Alzheimer's-associated agitation.
St. Louis University School of Medicine was one of the 123 sites worldwide to test if a drug called Brexpiprazole -- or Rexulti -- could significantly reduced agitation among Alzheimer's patients.
"It's a new medicine," said Dr. George Grossberg, SLU Director of Geriatric Psychiatry. "It's approved by the FDA for depression and augmentation. Initially, it was approved for schizophrenia."
The results of the study were published in JAMA Neurology. According to Grossberg, who was a senior author for the study, it was conducted in a 12 week span, and the drug was found to be both effective and well-tolerated.
345 participants at 123 clinical trial sites in Europe and the United States participated in the study.
"We now have a first FDA approved drug for the most problematic common symptom of Alzheimer's," said Grossberg. "That is good news that we have a tool that we can use."
Of the nearly seven million people in the U.S. with Alzheimer's, about half or more develop severe agitation at some point.
Grossberg says agitation is a leading reason for patients winding up in long term care and also a leading reason for disease progression.
"Everything from anxiety, to irritability, to more overtly agitated and even more aggressive behaviors can be very problematic for health-care partners and families," said Grossberg.