Healthcare
Therapeutic area: Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most significant healthcare crises of the 21st century. The global cost of treatment and care associated with AD exceeds 1% of worldwide gross domestic product. Patients with AD are often dependent on their caregivers to meet their daily needs, leading to a loss of the caregivers' social and economic contributions. The number of European AD patients is expected to double by 2050, and there remains no known cure.
Recent progress in AD diagnostics, however, does give reason for hope. Historically, an accurate diagnosis of AD could only be accomplished by conducting an autopsy after death. Clinicians were forced to rely on a battery of examinations, including a mental status test, a basic physical exam, a neurological exam, and brain imaging studies to diagnose the disease.
Recent scientific discoveries, however, have led to more accurate and earlier diagnosis of AD. In addition to potential applications in the clinic, these new tests hold promise for Alzheimer's medicine research and development. The tests may be used to more effectively track side effects and early benefits when running clinical trials of new drugs, spurring drug development.
The lack of direct health benefit from diagnosing a disease for which there is no treatment does create a number of reimbursement challenges. There are also significant ethical issues when administering a diagnostic for a disease with no known effective therapy.
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