Placebo-controlled Confirmatory Study of Galantamine (R113675) for Alzheimer's Type Dementia

This is a randomized (study drug assigned by chance), double-blind (neither the physician nor the patient know the name of the study medication), placebo-controlled, parallel-group study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two fixed doses of galantamine (16 and 24 milligrams per day [mg/day]) in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The study consists of a 4-week screening period during which all patients will receive placebo, and a 24-week double-blind treatment period during which patients will receive placebo, galantamine 16 mg/day, or galantamine 24 mg/day. For patients receiving galantamine treatment, the starting dose is 8 mg/day and increases at 4-week intervals in increments of 8 mg/day. The primary measures of effectiveness are the change from baseline to the end of the study (week 24) in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Japan cognitive subscale (ADAS-J cog) and the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change plus - Japan (CIBIC plus-J). Safety assessments include the incidence of adverse events, clinical laboratory tests, vital signs, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and physical examination findings. The study hypothesis is that galantamine will be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Study drug taken orally twice a day.