Corium announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Corium's Adlarity (donepezil transdermal system) as a treatment for patients with mild, moderate, or severe dementia of the Alzheimer's type. It is the first and only once-weekly patch to continuously deliver consistent doses of donepezil through the skin, resulting in a low likelihood of adverse gastrointestinal (GI) side effects associated with oral donepezil. Adlarity is the first approved prescription drug product using Corium's proprietary Corplex transdermal technology, which has been used for years in consumer products.

Donepezil is the most prescribed medication in a class of Alzheimer's drugs known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and is the active ingredient in the oral medication Aricept Oral donepezil is absorbed through a patient's digestive system, a route associated with GI side effects and fluctuations in the concentration of drug in circulation. It delivers seven days of a consistent dose of donepezil through a patient's skin, maintaining the level of medicine needed for effective treatment. The transdermal delivery of donepezil directly into a patient's skin bypasses the digestive system, resulting in a low possibility of GI side effects and making it easier for patients living with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers to administer the treatment reliably.

Adlarity is the first and only once-weekly patch to continuously deliver consistent doses of donepezil through the skin

"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, Ariz.