A DOUBLE-BLIND CLINICAL TRIAL OF VINPOCETINE IN THE TREATMENT OF CEREBRAL INSUFFICIENCY OF VASCULAR AND DEGENERATIVE ORIGIN

E. MANCONI, P. BINAGHI, F. PITZUS

Department of Internal Medicine,
University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Curr Therap Res 1986; 40: 702-2

Abstract

We used vinpocetine, a synthetic ethyl ester of apovincamine, to treat 22 elderly patients with central nervous system degenerative disorders, in a double-blind clinical trial. Patients received 10 mg vinpocetine TID for 30 days, then 5 mg TID for 60 days. Another 18 elderly patients were given matching placebo tablets for the 90-day trial. Vinpocetine-treated patients scored consistently better in all evaluations of the effectiveness of treatment, including measurements on the Clinical Global Impreasions (CGI) and Sandoz Clinical Assessment-Geriatric (SCAG) scales, and the Minl-Mental Status Questionnaire. According to CGI assessments, severity of illness decreased in 73% of the patients in the vinpocetine group at day 30 and 77% at day 90, and improvement was seen in 77% and 87% of the patients at days 30 and 90, respectively. Patients also showed statistically significant improvement for all SCAG items but one, at days 30 and 90. The physician rated the improvement in 59% of the vinpocetine-treated patients as “good” to “excellent”. No serious side effects were related to the treatment drug.