Donepezil was also more effective than another common Alzheimer's drug, memantine (Namenda), in patients with later-stage disease, although memantine still showed some benefit, according to the study published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Memantine (Namenda) is another oral medication.

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Pharmaceutical companies have made a habit of targeting the wrong cause (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors which are basically useless since as the disease progresses acetylcholinesterase activity declines by 85 percent), one aspect of the disease (Namenda as an antagonist for NMDA receptors), or insisting on a partially flawed mechanism for the disease (amyloid plaques).

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