title: Safety of tacrine: clinical trials, treatment IND, and postmarketing experience.
abstract: The safety of tacrine (Cognex), a centrally active, reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved in 1993 for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type, was evaluated in 2,706 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) in clinical trials and in 9861 patients with AD in a treatment investigational new drug (TIND) program. More than 190,000 patients in the United States received tacrine during the first 2 years following marketing approval. The most common tacrine-associated adverse events were elevated liver transaminase levels [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and, to a lesser degree, aspartate aminotransferase] and peripheral cholinergic events involving primarily the digestive system (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, anorexia, and weight loss). Based on clinical trial experience, potentially clinically significant (>3 x upper limit of normal) ALT elevations occurred in 25% of patients, requiring routine monitoring early in treatment. The elevations were almost always asymptomatic, rarely accompanied by significant increases in bilirubin, and related to time on drug rather than to dose (90% occurred within the first 12 weeks of treatment). Gastrointestinal events were related to dose and generally of mild to moderate intensity. Tacrine-associated events, including ALT elevations, were reversible. Cholinergic events were manageable with dosage adjustment. Tacrine was not associated with permanent liver injury in clinical trials or a TIND setting.
authors.affiliation: Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research, Division of Warner-Lambert Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, USA.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Gracon
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Berghoff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pierce
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: DeJong
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lobbestael
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Symons
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dombey
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Luscombe
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kraemer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011358:Product Surveillance, Postmarketing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013619:Tacrine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000637:Transaminases / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D013619:Tacrine; D000637:Transaminases