The British Were Promised [a Massive Free Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease]

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 23:16

The British were promised [a massive free diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease]

The UK may soon become the first country in the world to introduce into wide clinical practice an experimental technique for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease using the Amyvid radiopharmaceutical. This was announced on December 11, Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking at the first G8 summit held in London, dedicated to the situation with dementia on the planet.

Positron emission tomogram of the brain. Illustration from medicalphysicsweb.org /

The UK may soon become the first country in the world to introduce into wide clinical practice an experimental technique for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease using the Amyvid radiopharmaceutical. This, as reported by The Daily Mail, said on December 11, Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking at the first G8 summit in London, dedicated to the situation with dementia on the planet.

The development of the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly was approved in April 2012 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and in October 2013 by the European Medicines Agency.

Amyvid contains a substance containing the radioactive isotope fluorine-18. This compound binds to the amyloid beta protein, which accumulates in the form of plaques in the brain tissues of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The presence of a bound radiopharmaceutical in the brain is detected by positron emission tomography (PET). The effectiveness of Amyvid has been confirmed by clinical trials. According to the test results, the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic technique using PET exceeded 95 percent.

Until now, this relatively expensive (more than $ 1,300 (about £ 810) per patient) diagnosis has been used in the world only in private clinics, however, according to Cameron, if following the results of the Amyvid testing that began these days at Charing Cross Hospital in London there will be the decision was made to introduce this method into the National Health System (NHS), British patients will be able to take this examination free of charge.

Cameron also said that the UK is going to double by 2025 compared to 2015 the volume of public funding for research in the field of dementia and associated persistent acquired decline in cognitive function of neurodegenerative diseases, primarily Alzheimer's disease, bringing this figure to 132 million pounds a year. In 2015, according to Cameron, 66 million pounds will be allocated to fund such research.

In addition, the UK Medical Research Council is investing £ 50 million in research related to cognitive decline and early detection of impairment.

During the summit, it also became known that, according to The Independent, the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline plans to invest 200 million pounds in a specialized research center for the study of neurodegenerative diseases, in which laboratory developments will be converted into drugs for the treatment of such diseases.

According to the statistics published for the summit, about 44 million people in the world suffer from dementia today. By 2030, their number is expected to reach 76 million, and by 2050, 135 million. The annual amount of spending associated with neurodegeneration in the world is 600 billion dollars.