The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines under which patients in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease should be given drugs.

The NICE has recommended that three drugs, named Aricept, Reminyl and Exelon can be prescribed to patients in whom the disease has been detected at an early stage.

There are scientific evidences to prove that these three drugs can be recommended to patients suffering from the ‘mild’ symptoms of the disease.

The activists are happy and have described the decision as a ‘momentous day’.

Three years ago, NICE had put restrictions on the NHS doctors asking them to stop prescribing donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine drugs to Alzheimer's patients suffering from moderate symptoms. The doctors were forced to wait until the patients’ condition got worse.

Chief Executive, Sir Andrew Dillon said, “I do understand that patients and those who care for them will be frustrated that we weren't able to make this recommendation in the guidance that went out in 2007”.

He said it is important to understand that these drugs only provide a temporary relief for about six months and do not stop the progression.

It is worth mentioning that as many as 465,000 people in the United Kingdom are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and it is estimated that every year another 62,000 will develop the disease.