SUN Y7017 is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist developed by Merz Pharmaceuticals. This drug was approved for use in the treatment of AD by the EMEA in 2002, and by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2003. As of January 2010, this drug is marketed in more than 60 countries around the world.
Daiichi Sankyo said that Memantine is the first in class of medications, which acts on the glutamatergic system by blocking NMDA glutamate receptors. Memantine is marketed under the brands – Axura and Akatinol by Merz, Namenda by Forest, Ebixa and Abixa by Lundbeck, and Memox by Unipharm.