Hope on the horizon in Alzheimer's battle...but thousands missing out

PATIENTS in Britain are in danger of missing out on a new generation of Alzheimer's drugs unless we rapidly improve diagnosis rates, experts warn.

- Hanna Geissler

It comes after the US Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to lecanemab - the world's first drug proven to slow cognitive decline and clear toxic proteins from the brain.

Hilary Evans, chief executive at Alzheimer's Research UK, urged regulators here to complete their assessment "as a matter of urgency" and called for an overhaul of the way dementia is diagnosed in this country.

Ms Evans said the move "signals a step towards a world where Alzheimer's disease is treatable, but it should also serve as a wake-up call".

She said: "With a UK on the decision horizon, today's news underlines the urgency of getting the NHS ready for new medicines like  lecanemab. People won't be able to access these drugs without a confirmed diagnosis of Alzheimer's, but this is primarily done using a PET scan and the UK has one of the lowest numbers of scanners per capita in the developed world.