[A version of this item appears in: Dementia: the Latest Evidence Newsletter (RWHT), Volume 2 Issue 11, June 2012].
Summary
The purpose of this Health Technology Assessment was to review and update guidance to the NHS in England and Wales on the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). It found a clinical benefit from AChEIs in alleviating AD symptoms. There is also evidence on the effectiveness of memantine, but this is less supportive than the evidence for AChEIs.
Reference
Bond, M. Rogers, G. Peters, J. [et al]. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (review of Technology Appraisal No. 111): a systematic review and economic model. Health Technology Assessment. April 2012; 16(21): 1-470. There is also an Executive Summary.
Health Technology Assessment in the UK (The Lancet)
The following review examines the UK’s Health Technology Assessment programme, which is 20 years old in 2013.
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Reference
Raftery, J. [and] Powell, J. (2013). Health technology assessment in the UK. The Lancet, October 12th 2013, 382(9900), 1278-1285.