UK charity says Alzheimer’s diagnoses block trials
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- Alzheimer’s Research UK warns that one in three UK patients lack a formal diagnosis, limiting enrollment in clinical trials.
- Sheona Scales says record‑high Alzheimer’s trials this year increase demand for participants, but without a large, diverse pool the UK may miss next‑generation treatments.
- Cochrane concluded that seven anti‑amyloid drugs, including lecanemab and donanemab, showed no clinically meaningful impact over 18 months, sparking criticism about grouping older drugs.
- Jeffrey Cummings reports a 40% rise in Alzheimer’s drug candidates over a decade, with 158 medicines in 192 trials shifting focus from amyloid to tau, inflammation, and immune pathways.
- lecanemab (and its peer donanemab) have been approved globally and modestly slow disease progression, but the NHS deems them not cost‑effective.
Why it matters: One in three UK patients lose access to experimental treatments while the NHS avoids costly ineffective drugs; delayed diagnoses also reduce trial diversity, limiting data for drug developers.
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