KARLSRUHE, Germany, 30 September 2005. A large placebo controlled study has again confirmed the efficacy of EGb 761® in typical dementia patients, where cognitive impairment is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, irritability and indifference. These patients represent the overwhelming majority of Alzheimer's patients in normal clinical practice. During the observation period EGb 761® clearly improved the cognitive functioning as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms and the daily activites of the patients treated.

The randomised, double-blind study was presented today at the 21st International Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in Istanbul, Turkey[1].

395 outpatients with mild to moderate dementia with neuropsychiatric features received either 240 mg EGb 761® or placebo daily. The primary outcome measure in the cognitive domain was the SKT test battery, an internationally validated rating scale for dementia. In the neuropsychiatric domain the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) were applied.

After 22 weeks, the patients treated with EGb 761® showed clear improvement and a highly significant difference of 4.5 points compared to those receiving placebo. Similar improvements were found for the EGb 761® group on all secondary outcome measures. EGb 761® was also extraordinarily well tolerated.

“This study shows that EGb 761® is effective in the treatment of dementia“ says Prof. A. Napreyenko, principal investigator of the study. “In patients exhibiting the full range of cognitive and non-cognitive features of dementia, EGb 761® improves cognitive functioning as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms and activities of daily living. It is thus providing relief not only to the patients, but also for their caring relatives and other caregivers.“

The results of this study support the findings of earlier trials including a one-year US trial of Le Bars et al. published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) [2].

EGb 761® is a patented Ginkgo biloba extract developed and manufactured by the Dr. Willmar Schwabe Company, Karlsruhe, Germany. It is widely recognised as the best researched phytomedicine world-wide.