People with dementia could go without revolutionary new drugs that can slow symptoms because NHS testing is not good enough, a leading charity warned yesterday.
Due to a shortage of expensive brain scanners, most patients are only properly diagnosed when it is too late to start using preventive medication.
More than a third of people with dementia symptoms currently go completely undiagnosed, making it impossible to prescribe the potentially life-changing drugs.
Lecanemab and donanemab, which could be used in Britain this year, slow the early stages of the disease by targeting harmful amyloid proteins in the brain.
Due to a shortage of expensive brain scanners, most patients are only properly diagnosed when it is too late to start using preventive medication
But Dr Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the NHS is not ready to roll out the drugs.
“Dementia is the biggest cause of death in Britain, and people affected by it have waited too long for new treatments that can slow the progression of their symptoms,” she said.
‘First-generation treatments are now in sight, but we are concerned that the NHS is not ready to deliver these – especially because of the way people are diagnosed.
‘This has hardly changed for decades and leaves too many people undiagnosed. Furthermore, only two percent of people receive a ‘gold standard’ diagnosis using lumbar punctures or PET scans.
‘If people want to access these new treatments, they will need a formal diagnosis using ‘gold standard’ tests. But the shocking reality is that diagnosis targets for dementia are consistently missed across the country every month, leaving thousands of families facing a more anxious and uncertain time as a result.
‘Chronic underfunding and the failure to address gaps in the NHS’s diagnostic capacity have partly put us in this frustrating position.’
Dr. Susan Mitchell (pictured), head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the NHS is not ready to roll out the drugs
Many dementia patients are diagnosed based on symptom observation and memory testing. A previous study by the Alzheimer’s Society found that 1 in 4 wait two years before getting help.
Dr. Mitchell said that if nothing changes, half of people in Britain will be affected by dementia at some point – either from caring for someone, developing the condition themselves, or both.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of the NHS, said dementia diagnosis rates are starting to recover after being severely hit by the pandemic.
He said: ‘The health service is committed to further improving support for people affected by dementia, including through the provision of personalized care packages.
‘The NHS is a world leader in rolling out innovative treatments and is doing everything it can to prepare for the arrival of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease as soon as they are deemed safe and approved for use. A special NHS program is investigating which services and tests can best be used to support people in the earliest stages of this cruel disease.
‘An early diagnosis of dementia can make a big difference, so see your GP as soon as possible if you have any concerns.’