Eleven patients have died while taking Alzheimer's disease drug Aricept during a clinical trial, Japan's Eisai Co, which makes the medicine, said on Thursday. There were no deaths among patients who were taking a placebo, said Eisai, which markets Aricept with Pfizer Inc.
The drug, which treats mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, was being tested in patients with vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.
Applications to expand the use of Aricept to vascular dementia, which is caused by a stroke or diseased blood vessels, are pending in both the United States and Europe, said Eisai spokeswoman Judee Shuler.
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