Eisai and Pfizer said the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a once-daily, higher-dose Aricept 23mg tablet for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease.

A study conducted on 1,400 people showed the tablet caused a significant improvement in cognition, but no significant improvement in global function, when compared to Aricept 10mg tablet.

The pivotal study of the Aricept 23mg tablet noted nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and anorexia as the most common adverse events.

The recommended starting dose of Aricept based on the approved label is 5mg once-daily. This can be raised to Aricept 10mg once-daily after four to six weeks.