Cerebrolysin
Cerebrolysin® is a multi-modal neuropeptide drug with a fast onset of action that helps to regain and maintain the independence of patients suffering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia and cognitive impairment.
The experience with Cerebrolysin® during many years of clinical application, the information from post-marketing surveillance studies, the safety data from double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials and EVER’s pharmacovigilance database demonstrate the excellent clinical safety profile of Cerebrolysin®.
According to EMA classification (European Medicines Agency), Cerebrolysin® is in the SAFE category.
Overview
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among people aged 65 and older. AD is characterized by extracellular plaques containing misfolded amyloid beta peptides (Aß), formed in the brain many years before clinical signs are observed. Intracellular neurofibrillary tangles together with these plaques form the pathological hallmarks of the disease. However, why and how the disease develops is under intense investigation and no satisfying answers have been found until now.
Vascular dementia, also known as vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), is caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain, typically a series of micro strokes, leading to cognitive decline that occurs stepwise. The incidence of vascular dementia is nine times higher in patients who have had a stroke compared to healthy controls. 25% of stroke patients develop new-onset dementia within one year after stroke.
An alternative treatment approach in Alzheimer’s disease is the use of multimodal drugs, like Cerebrolysin®, that mimic the action of endogenous neurotrophic factors. A sustained neurotrophic regulation is essential for counteracting neurodegenerative processes and to stimulate endogenous repair processes.
Remarkable cognitive improvements
The largest clinical trial to date was performed by Guekht et al. 2011 . Primary study endpoint was ADAS-cog+ from baseline at week 24. Patients treated with Cerebrolysin® improved by –10.62 points in the ADAS-cog+ and by -4.4 in the placebo group, resulting in a significant difference of -6.2 points at week 24 (p<0.0001) in favor of Cerebrolysin®.
