Alzheimer’s Drug Linked to Potentially Serious Muscle Condition

Results of a population-based study showed that use of donepezil was associated a significantly higher risk for rhabdomyolysis compared to other cholinesterase inhibitors, although the investigators note that the absolute risk was small.

“Clinicians should have an index of suspicion to check for rhabdomyolysis if patients on donepezil present with muscle weakness or pain,” study investigator Jamie Fleet, MD, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, told Medscape Medical News.

“There was some concern about the risk of rhabdomyolysis in donepezil use based on case reports. It was flagged by Health Canada and other regulatory agencies as a potential risk, which was one of the main reasons behind our study,” Fleet added.