The Next Alzheimer’s Breakthrough Will Take More Than Just Science
Pioneering Alzheimer's researcher John Hardy stated that alongside more effective drugs, better diagnosis and political will are needed to improve Alzheimer's treatment. Recent drugs like Lecanemab can slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease, but diagnosis and access to treatment remain a challenge.
Alzheimer's research is advancing with treatments that have taken decades to develop now reaching patients. According to John Hardy, chair of the Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease at University College London, better diagnosis and political will are still needed. Hardy's work helped establish the role of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease, leading to the development of antibodies to prevent amyloid deposits. Drugs like Donanemab and Lecanemab can remove amyloid deposits from the brain, with Lecanemab shown to slow cognitive decline in clinical trials. However, improving diagnosis will require investment in dementia services, as currently only about 60% of those diagnosed with dementia actually have Alzheimer's disease. In the UK, Lecanemab is only available to private patients, while in the US, it has been approved by the FDA and is available on Medicare.
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