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A. Maelicke, A. Hoeffle-Maas, J. Ludwig, A. Maus, M. Samochocki, U. Jordis, A. Koepke:
"Memogain is a Galantamine Pro-drug having Dramatically Reduced Adverse Effects and Enhanced Efficacy";
Journal Of Molecular Neuroscience, 40 (2010), 135 - 137.

Memogain® (Gln-1062) is an inactive pro-drug
of galantamine, the latter being a plant alkaloid approved
for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer´s disease.
Memogain has more than 15-fold higher bioavailability in
the brain than the same doses of galantamine. In the brain,
Memogain is enzymatically cleaved to galantamine, thereby
regaining its pharmacological activity as a cholinergic
enhancer. In animal models of drug-induced amnesia,
Memogain produced several fold larger cognitive improvement
than the same doses of galantamine, without exhibiting
any significant levels of gastrointestinal side effects that
are typical for the unmodified drug and other inhibitors of
cholinesterases, such as donepezil and rivastigmin. In the
ferret, dramatically reduced emetic and behavioral
responses were observed when Memogain was administered
instead of galantamine. Based on these and other
preclinical data, Memogain may represent an advantageous
drug treatment for Alzheimer´s disease, combining much
lesser gastrointestinal side effects and considerably higher
potency in enhancing cognition, as compared to presently
available drugs.

Alzheimer´s disease . Nicotinic enhancer .Cholinesterase inhibitor . Galantamine . Memogain .Experimental drug