Donepezil is a common Alzheimer's drug prescribed to patients with mild to moderate symptoms of the disease. Patients with advanced symptoms are not advised to the take the drug due to supposed lack of value.

A new study found that Donepezil can keep patients out of nursing homes for a longer period of time but doctors' prescription timeline is cut a little too short.

A 2012 Donepezil study showed that the drug provided functional and cognitive benefits to patients with severe Alzheimer's disease. In the new study, the team followed the progress of the 295 Alzheimer's patients with moderate to severe symptoms who were involved in the 2012 study. Through a random selection, some patients continued to use Donepezil (also known for its brand name Aricept) while some were given an inactive placebo drug.

Researchers found that 37 percent of patients who didn't take Donepezil were placed in a nursing home within 12 months. In the Donepezil group, only 20 percent were admitted to care facilities within the same period. The team also tested another Alzheimer's drug called Memantine and found that it bears no effect in the chances of patients being moved into a nursing home at an earlier time.

"It's a moderate effect but it's important if it's your mother or your wife or someone close to you. Our new results show that these benefits translate into a delay in becoming dependent on residential care, an event that many people dread," said lead author Robert Howard, University College London's Professor of Old Age Psychiatry.

Putting things in perspective, the yearly cost of residential care for patients can range between £30,732 and £34,424, roughly $47,202.82 to $52,873.54. Donepezil's annual supply only costs £21.59, approximately $33.16.

The research was co-funded by the Alzheimer's Society and the Medical Research Council. Alzheimer's Society's director of research and development Dr. Dough Brown expressed that since there is currently no new treatments for the disease, it is crucial that doctors make the most out of available drugs in the market. The findings are crucial for families living with the disease who want to prolong a patient's stay at their own homes for as long as they can.

The research was published in the Lancet Neurology journal on Oct. 26.