The NHS is “simply not ready” for a new era of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease – and is not “keeping pace with the science”, experts have warned.
It comes as a group of 40 researchers said the Alzheimer’s landscape is set to transform in the coming years thanks to new drugs and blood tests.
Writing in a series of papers published in the Lancet, they warn that without rapid reform, the potential of these “major innovations” will not be realised.
They also claim the medications donanemab and lecanemab slow the progression of Alzheimer’s as effectively as treatments for other conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Lead author Professor Giovanni Frisoni, of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, said there is a need for societal change to ensure current and future Alzheimer’s patients benefit fully from scientific advances.
He added: “Blood tests, biological drugs for Alzheimer’s disease, and prevention interventions are propelling care into entirely new and exciting territory.
“However, the old needs of patients will not disappear. On the contrary, more general practitioners and dementia specialists will need to master the less glamorous but steady advances made in the past few decades in the care and treatment of behavioural disorders, the use of sophisticated diagnostic imaging and laboratory tools, and psychosocial care.
“A concerted societal effort in this direction will enable our current and future patients to benefit fully from the potential of scientific and technological advances.”
Prof Frisoni told the PA news agency the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease is going to “change radically in the near future”.
“As it happens in all medical revolutions, it’s not something that takes place overnight, it will take place over years, but the path has clearly been taken, and there’s no way back,” he said.
He added that blood tests for the disease “have the possibility to upscale diagnosis tremendously”.
It comes after it emerged that British patients would trial a new blood test for Alzheimer’s, with results expected within three years.
The researchers also highlight that Alzheimer’s drugs donanemab and lecanemab slowed disease progression to a level comparable to the efficacy of medicines for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Both treatments have been licensed for use in the UK, but will not be made available on the NHS after spending watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) deemed their benefits “too small” to justify their cost.
Prof Frisoni told PA: “Of course, other conditions are different; multiple sclerosis is different from Alzheimer’s disease.
“But there are some dimensions that we can use as an anchor to compare these drugs.
“And when you do this exercise, you realise that these drugs for Alzheimer’s are not more toxic, are not less effective, are not more expensive.
“What is really different is the potential size of the beneficiaries. This is the real difference.
“The discussion shifts from a clinical discussion to a political discussion. Does society want to invest?”
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said the series of papers “mark the beginning of a new era in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment”.
However, he added: “The painful truth is that the NHS is simply not ready and isn’t keeping pace with the science.
“We now run the very real risk that people living with dementia will miss out on the opportunity to benefit from these big breakthroughs.
“It’s vital that the UK government keeps its eye on the ball so people with dementia aren’t left behind. We want to see better access to early diagnosis so people don’t miss out on the narrow window of eligibility to benefit from treatments which can slow Alzheimer’s disease.
“Preparing for future treatments will take a society of researchers, clinicians and decision-makers.”
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
According to Alzheimer’s Society, one in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.
By 2040, around 1.4 million people in the UK could be living with the condition.
David Thomas, head of policy and public affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “In under a decade, the number of experimental treatments for Alzheimer’s, the leading cause of dementia, has doubled, and our understanding of the disease has advanced faster than ever before.
“Yet as these papers highlight, scientific momentum alone is not enough.
“It demonstrates the major implications for how our health services are organised and underlines the need to build consensus among clinicians who, for so long, have had few options to offer their patients.
“Turning research breakthroughs into change for people affected by dementia is a challenge that governments and health service leaders must address.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS is currently giving patients access to every approved, evidence-based and cost-effective approach for dementia diagnosis and treatment, and we have been working to ensure local services are ready to roll out any new treatments for early-stage Alzheimer’s which are approved by Nice in the future.”
