Rivastigmine for the treatment of dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease

Published on 05 Feb 2018
Last Updated on 05 Feb 2018

Guidance Recommendations

The Ministry of Health's Drug Advisory Committee has recommended:

• Rivastigmine patch formulation (4.6mg/24h and 9.5mg/24h) for the treatment of moderately severe dementia, and behavioural symptoms of dementia, associated with Parkinson's disease.

• Rivastigmine patch formulation (4.6mg/24h, 9.5mg/24h and 13.3mg/24h) for the treatment of moderately severe dementia, and behavioural symptoms of dementia, associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Conditions should be confirmed by a specialist physician (geriatrician, neurologist or psychiatrist) with experience in the treatment of dementia.

Treatment should be continued only when it is considered to be having a worthwhile effect on cognitive, global, functional or behavioural symptoms.

Subsidy status

Rivastigmine patch formulation (4.6mg/24h, 9.5mg/24h and 13.3mg/24h) is recommended for inclusion on the Medication Assistance Fund (MAF) for the abovementioned indications.

Rivastigmine should be used in line with the clinical criteria in the MAF checklist for initial and continuing prescriptions. Treatment effect has to be re-assessed 6-monthly before further MAF assistance is granted for additional prescriptions.

MAF assistance does not apply to rivastigmine capsules (1.5mg, 3mg, 4.5mg and 6mg).

Rivastigmine for the treatment of dementia (5 Feb 2018) [PDF, 461 KB]