The Waiting Game for Alzheimers Treatment

New Alzheimer’s hope on the horizon – if you’re ready for it…?

Possible clear skies at last in the healthcare industry (after one of the warmest (and wettest) Februarys on record in the UK): lecanemab and donanemab are finally on their way to probable approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)i.?

Wonderful news for patients, loved ones and healthcare workers who live with the effects of Alzheimer’s. The potential for these drugs is huge, and the ability they may have to improve lives and slow down disease progression (including actually treating the underlying cause of the illness), is a bright shard of hope, in what can be a very difficult time.?

But unfortunately, there’s a bit of a problem, and it’s not the one you might first think of.?

Because it’s not a licensing problem. It’s an NHS problem.?

It’s a slow march to progress?

The NHS, in all its brilliant, slow-moving glory, is not ready.?

These drugs are not recent news. Not really. It’s been two years since the NHS was first warned to start thinking about these treatments, and while it may have done just that, it is still far behind the curve when it comes to preparation. ??

Why, you might ask, is the National Health Service not prepared? Why is it not leaping towards the potential licensing of these drugs with open arms? After all, if only from a purely mercenary perspective, there is a real possibility that these drugs will help cull the resources poured into treating patients with Alzheimer’s.?

All good questions. Unfortunately, the answer is not a simple one, and the problem is difficult to solve. Cuts to fundingii mean multiple things: a loss of staff (in an already reducing work force), longer waiting times and fewer funds with which to provide clinical treatment – including money that could be spent on new treatments...

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