Suicide in two patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer disease

Two patients meeting the criteria for probable Alzheimer disease (AD) who w ere participating in a phase 3 clinical program with eptastigmine,a choline sterase inhibitor, committed suicide. The first patient committed suicide b y a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The second patient committed suicide by jumping from a 19th story window. These two patients shared seve ral clinical features with those found in the literature: being at the earl y stages of the disease, having a high level education, with preserved insi ght, having access to firearms, and being aware of not responding to pharma cological treatment.