The First and Only Transdermal Patch for Alzheimer Disease

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Corium’s donepezil transdermal system (Adlarity) for the treatment of mild, moderate, or severe dementia of the Alzheimer type. The donepezil transdermal system is the first and only once-weekly patch to continuously deliver donepezil through the skin, thus reducing the likelihood of adverse gastrointestinal (GI) side effects associated with oral donepezil.

“The availability of a once-weekly patch formulation of donepezil has the potential to substantially benefit patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. It offers effective, well-tolerated and stable dosing for seven days for patients who cannot take daily oral donepezil reliably because of impaired memory. It can also offer benefits for those patients who have diminished ability to swallow or have GI side effects associated with ingestion of oral donepezil,” said Pierre N. Tariot, MD, director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.

As the donepezil transdermal system delivers 7 days of a consistent dose through a patient’s skin, maintaining the level of medicine needed for effective treatment and bypassing the digestive system, this system may make it easier for patients living with Alzheimer disease and their caregivers to administer the treatment reliably. The patch is placed by the patient or caregiver on the patient’s back, thigh, or buttocks.

“I am thrilled to hear there is a new medication for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, which uses an existing therapy with an innovative new twist. This easy-to-use skin patch offers bonuses of only needing to be administered once-weekly, which in turn reduces care partners’ responsibilities too. This definitely is a step forward in the right direction,” said Lori La Bey, founder of Alzheimer’s Speaks, and cofounder of Dementia Map.

The FDA approved the once-weekly use of donepezil 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day formulations. Patients may be switched directly from 5 mg/day or 10 mg/day oral donepezil to the transdermal system by their prescriber.

Reference

1. Corium receives FDA approval of ADLARITY® (donepezil transdermal system) for treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. News release. March 14, 2022. Accessed March 22, 2022. https://corium.com/pdf/Corium-FDA-ADLARITY-Approval-Press-Release.pdf