Forest says once-daily Alzheimer's drug effective

BOSTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Forest Laboratories Inc (FRX.N) said on Tuesday that patients in a late-stage clinical trial who took a once-daily formulation of its Alzheimer's drug Namenda had a significant improvement in symptoms compared with those who took a placebo.

The company, which already sells a twice-daily formulation of the drug, evaluated the efficacy and safety of an extended release version of the drug in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease currently treated with a drug in the class known as cholinesterase inhibitors.

The company said that based on the results, which showed marked improvement in certain tests of mental function, it will pursue a marketing application for the drug. (Reporting by Toni Clarke, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)