Novartis Korea’s dementia treatment Exelon (rivastigmine) obtained expanded insurance coverage for mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), on Friday.

When the government reevaluates the reimbursement for PDD and Alzheimer’s disease, it will also allow the insurance coverage for patients who scored 26 or higher in Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE).

Novartis Korea’s dementia drug Exelon patch

The review of patients for insurance coverage takes place every six to 12 months so that physicians can decide whether to continue the treatment.

With the latest reimbursement expansion, Exelon has become the only treatment that both won both from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and got Korean insurance coverage for mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease patients as well as mild and moderate PDD patients.

On the extended insurance coverage, patients who score 10-26 in MMSE, 1-2 in Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), or stage 3-5 in Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) among mild and moderate PDD patients can get insurance benefit for Exelon patch or capsule.

Reimbursement for Exelon patch is available for mild, moderate and severe Alzheimer’s disease patients whose MMSE score is 26 or lower or who show GDS stage between 3 and 7. The insurance coverage for Exelon capsule is allowed for mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease patients whose MMSE is between 10 and 26, CDR is 1-2, or GDS stage is between 3 and 5.

The expanded reimbursement for Exelon was based on a 48-week clinical trial called EXPRESS Extension on 541 patients diagnosed with PDD.

In EXPRESS Extension, Exelon proved efficacy to improve memory, cognitive ability, and daily life performance of patients with PDD.

Exelon’s efficacy in improving cognitive function was equivalent to that of existing cholinesterase inhibitors, and it had a long-term treatment effect without any new concern for safety.

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