A novel anti-Alzheimer's disease drug, ladostigil neuroprotective, multimodal brain-selective monoamine oxidase and cholinesterase inhibitor.

The novel therapeutic strategy in which drug candidates are designed to possess diverse pharmacological properties and act on multiple targets has stimulated the development of the multimodal drug, ladostigil [(N-propargyl-(3R) aminoindan-5yl)-ethyl methyl carbamate]. Ladostigil combines neuroprotective effects with monoamine oxidase-A and -B and cholinesterase inhibitory activities in a single molecule, presently in a Phase IIb clinical trial and intended for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and dementia comorbid with extrapyramidal disorders and depression. This chapter will discuss the preclinical scientific evidence for the therapeutic potential use of ladostigil in the clinic and molecular signaling pathways that are considered to be involved in the molecular activities of the drug.