Once-daily transdermal rivastigmine in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

During the past decade, transdermal delivery systems (TDS) have become increasingly important for treating neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The rivastigmine patch was the first patch to be approved to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). The 9.5 mg/24 h patch has equal efficacy to the capsules and reduces gastrointestinal adverse events, such as nausea and vomiting, by two-thirds. This treatment is well tolerated by patients because drug delivery is even and continuous, reducing fluctuation in drug plasma level, and attenuating the development of centrally mediated cholinergic side effects. Furthermore, once-a-day application of the patch enables an easy treatment schedule, ease of handling, infrequent skin irritations, and a patient- and caregiver-friendly mode of administration. Improved compliance with a subsequent drug administration may contribute to better clinical efficacy, reduce caregiver burden, result in a slower rate of institutionalization, and lead to a decrease in healthcare and medical costs. Because of these advantages, the rivastigmine patch has enabled great progress in the treatment of AD, and represents an excellent alternative to the orally administered cholinesterase inhibitors.