Can Dextromethorphan plus Quinidine Reduce Agitation in Patients with Alzheimer Disease Dementia?

Noncognitive neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of dementia — including aggression, agitation, depression, anxiety, delusions, hallucinations, apathy, and disinhibition — appear nearly universally across dementia stages and etiologies. No FDA-approved treatments exist for NPS. Nonpharmacological interventions are considered first-line therapy, and psychotropic drugs are prescribed frequently for agitation, although safety concerns and lack of efficacy limit their use.

This study is a manufacturer-sponsored, parallel-group, phase II, double-blind, multicenter, randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of dextromethorphan hydrobromide plus quinidine sulfate on clinically significant agitation in patients with mild to moderately severe Alzhe…