Memantine Merz

Product Overview

About Memantine Merz

Memantine Merz is a medicine that contains the active substance memantine hydrochloride. It is available as tablets (5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg and 20 mg). Memantine Merz is also available as an oral solution, which is supplied with a pump that delivers 5 mg memantine hydrochloride with each activation. This medicine is the same as Axura, which is already authorised in the European Union (EU). The company that makes Axura has agreed that its scientific data can be used for Memantine Merz (‘informed consent’).

What it is used for

Memantine Merz is used to treat patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia (a brain disorder) that gradually affects memory, intellectual ability and behaviour. The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

How it is used

Treatment should be started and supervised by a doctor who has experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment should only be started if a caregiver is available who will regularly monitor the use of Memantine Merz by the patient. Memantine Merz should be given once a day, at the same time every day. To prevent side effects, the dose of Memantine Merz is gradually increased over the first three weeks of treatment: during the first week, the dose is 5 mg; in the second week, it is 10 mg; and during the third week, it is 15 mg. From week four onwards, the recommended maintenance dose is 20 mg once a day. The tolerance and dose should be assessed within three months after starting treatment, and from then on the benefits of continuing treatment with Memantine Merz should be re-assessed on a regular basis. The dose may need to be reduced in patients who have moderate or severe problems with their kidneys. If the solution is used, the dose should first be pumped onto a spoon or into a glass of water. It should not be poured or pumped directly into the mouth.

How it works

The active substance in Memantine Merz, memantine hydrochloride, is an antidementia medicine. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, but memory loss in the disease is believed to be due to a disturbance of message signals in the brain. Memantine works by blocking special types of receptor called NMDA receptors, to which the neurotransmitter glutamate normally attaches. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the nervous system that allow nerve cells to communicate with one another. Changes in the way glutamate transmits signals within the brain have been linked to the memory loss seen in Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, overstimulation of the NMDA receptors can result in cell damage or death. By blocking NMDA receptors, memantine improves the transmission of signals in the brain and reduces the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Active substance: memantine hydrochloride

Source: EMA EPAR