Association between Anti-Dementia Treatment Persistence and Daily Dosage of the First Prescription: A Retrospective Analysis in Neuropsychiatric Practices in Germany

Abstract

Background: High adherence and persistence are important for the efficacy of anti-dementia treatments.

Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze the association between anti-dementia treatment persistence and daily dosage of the first prescription in patients treated in neuropsychiatric practices in Germany.

Methods: This study included patients aged 60 years or over who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and received anti-dementia prescriptions (galantamine, donepezil, memantine, and rivastigmine) for the first time between 2005 and 2014. The main outcome measure was the treatment persistence rate within 12 months after the index date as a function of the first dose. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the relation between persistence and daily dosages after adjusting for age, gender, and residence in nursing homes.

Results: In this study, 2,442, 5,669, 4,416, 642, and 2,334 patients received galantamine, donepezil, memantine, oral rivastigmine, and patch rivastigmine, respectively. After 12 months of follow-up, continuation rates were similar for individuals using different doses of galantamine, donepezil, oral rivastigmine, and patch rivastigmine, but were significantly different for those taking memantine. Patients using 20 mg of memantine were less likely to discontinue their treatment than patients using 10 mg (HR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.80–0.96). There was no significant association between daily dosages and persistence for the other drugs (HRs ranging from 0.86 to 1.15).

Conclusions: There was no significant association between treatment persistence and daily dosages in patients with Alzheimer’s disease in Germany who were treated with galantamine, donepezil, or rivastigmine.