Dementia is biggest health crisis of our time, says charity as it calls for NHS to approve new drugs
Dementia is the “biggest health crisis of our time”, a charity has warned as it calls for the NHS to approve life-changing drugs.
Last year 74,261 people died from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease compared with 69,178 in 2021 - accounting for more than one in 10 deaths in the UK last year - according to an analysis.
Alzheimer’s Research UK has called for any drugs “deemed safe and effective” to treat the disease to be made available on the NHS as soon as possible.
There have been major breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research this year.
In May, watchdogs began assessing the safety of lecanemab, the first drug shown to slow cognitive decline.
In the same month, trials of donanemab suggested it could be even more powerful, slowing the condition by a third.
‘Too costly’
Charities are concerned that the drugs may be deemed too costly for the NHS because the methodology used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) does not take into account the burden put on family members who often have to give up work to become full-time carers to loved ones with dementia.
According to the NHS, about 944,000 people are living with dementia in the UK.
Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dementia is the biggest health crisis of our time, casting a dark shadow over the near million people affected by the condition in the UK.
“Not only does it bring fear, heartbreak, and harm to the ones we love, but it’s also having a huge impact on our economy.
“New treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are within sight, and diagnostic blood tests could reach the NHS in the next five years. It’s time to make sure these innovations reach people who can benefit.
“Any new dementia drugs that are deemed safe and effective need to be available as soon as possible within the NHS, and how people are diagnosed needs to be overhauled. Otherwise, we’ll be staring at the same heart-rending statistics for years to come.”
Last month, Alzheimer’s Research UK urged Nice to change the way it works and to take account of the £10 billion cost of dementia to the economy.
But, after examining its processes, a report from Nice’s Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Innovation Laboratory concluded that it should retain its current method.
Burden on families
The charity said it was “unfair” to take such a narrow view, which disregarded the burden dementia places on families, demonstrated by the effect on the economy.
The HTA report also says the costs of identifying those likely to respond to treatment, which involves PET scans and lumbar punctures, and administering drugs by infusion, should be included in price assessments.
Although Nice commissioned the report by its HTA lab, the report includes a disclaimer that the considerations in it “cannot be taken as indicative or suggestive of any future position and will not be regarded as relevant to any future decision that may be taken by Nice”.
However, the report quotes Nice’s board last year justifying why it believes the effect of diseases on economic productivity should be excluded.
Nice said its key role was to support access to effective medicines and value for NHS resources, saying the impact on carers’ quality of life could be considered.
The body has said appraisals for new treatments are in their early stages, with recommendations depending on several factors, including the price set by drug manufacturers.
According to the Office for National Statistics, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease led to 65,967 deaths in England and Wales last year, with figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency showing they accounted for 2,017 deaths.
