When it comes to Alzheimer's, there are reasons to be cheerful...

Positive momentum is building for Alzheimer’s disease.

After literally decades of what seemed, to the average observer, to be little forward progression in the identification, treatment, and management of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) several encouraging developments have happened just in the last 3 months. Finally, it seems, positive momentum is picking up speed.

A milestone event towards treatability

Firstly, in January, a new therapeutic was approved by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) under their accelerated review pathway. Lecanemab (brand name, Leqembi), developed jointly by Eisai and Biogen, acts on a key feature of AD, the build-up of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. This was heralded as a true milestone event in the journey towards the goal of treatability for this debilitating disease, and Cytox joined with the AD community in celebrating the moment. As new therapies emerge identifying those most likely to benefit will be important. The Alzheimer’s Risk Test, powered by genoSCORE?, enables those who wish to know their personal risk for AD to do so and take control of their long-term health. Interestingly, this drug appears to offer greatest benefit to patients with early-stage disease, those with milder symptoms, and it follows that identifying those who are most likely to benefit from treatment will be an increasingly important task for doctors.

More information can be found here.

Unexpected Coverage by the VA.

Leqembi costs $26,000 annually, based on twice monthly infusions and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) rejected a petition for wider coverage, leaving in place a restrictive policy that applies to the entire class of amyloid Alzheimer’s drugs that includes Leqembi and its predecessor Aduhelm. However, less than three weeks after Medicare’s refusal, the United States Veterans Health Administration (VHA) ruled that it will cover the treatment, allowing access to veterans with early-stage disease. ‘This is an important step toward access to medically necessary and beneficial treatments for people living with mild cognitive impairment,’ Joanne Pike, CEO and president of the Alzheimer's Association, said in a release. ‘Each day matters to someone living with early-stage Alzheimer's when it comes to slowing the progression of this disease.’

The FDA has set a target date of July 6 to decide whether to grant Leqembi a full approval. A positive decision would see Medicare taking another look at coverage policies.

Consider dementia a treatable condition of midlife.

These were the words of Professor Craig Ritchie (left), Founder and Chief Executive of Scottish Brain Services during a keynote speech at a March conference. He put forward the opinion that clinical investigations in dementia had been focussing on the wrong place and encouraged clinicians to turn more of their attention towards the treatment of risks associated with the condition, rather than wait for symptoms to manifest. ‘For more than 4 in 10, dementia may be modifiable’, he said, and consequently, carrying out a thorough risk assessment on which to build a prevention plan would be a cornerstone of the work of his organisation.

More information can be found here.

Cytox welcomes initiatives of this type, where individuals are encouraged to proactively learn about their risk to understand the importance of brain health throughout their lifetime. Genetic risk assessment is a key part of the puzzle.

Hollywood Star Reveals Dementia Diagnosis.

After Chris Hemsworth’s announcement last year that an APOE test showed him to have two copies of the E4 allele, the family of actor Bruce Willis, made public his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in February. Many charities and other dementia-related organisations praised his candour and expressed their support for shining a light on the condition. Like them Cytox salutes those who aim to improve awareness and encourage action.

We hope you’ll be as encouraged as we are to see these steps on the path towards a brighter future for anyone who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, has experienced that suffering in a loved-one or is concerned for their own cognitive health.

About Cytox (www.cytoxgroup.com)

Cytox Group Limited aims to enable everyone to know their personal genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Cytox supports two products in the market, powered by its genoSCORE? Polygenic Risk Scoring technology. In the US, Cytox has partnered with Sampled Smart Labs which has developed the Alzheimer’s Risk Test, powered by genoSCORE (www.alzheimers-risk-test.com). In Europe Cytox, with its partner Yourgene Health, markets genoSCORE-LAB (www.genoscore-lab.com).

The genoSCORE technology is used to assess the genetic risk of cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The test, which uses a simple blood or saliva sample, analyses over 100,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - small genetic variations - that are associated with AD. As such, the test generates a patient-specific polygenic risk score (PRS). Clinicians can use the test to assess patients for the risk of developing Alzheimer's, including before symptoms arise. In addition, the test can be used by developers of new AD drugs to identify individuals most likely to experience cognitive decline and/or respond to the therapy under investigation.