Alzheimer’s disease is fatal. Let that sink in for a moment. Patients, families, caregivers, doctors, and political leaders across Europe agree that more should be done to address the impacts of this devastating disease. In the Netherlands alone, the government expects the costs of long term care for dementia patients to go from €10,6bn in 2020 to €15,6bn in 20401, eclipsing the overall costs of medicines which stands at €6,6bn across all diseases combined.2 Fortunately, new diagnostic tools and medicines that can help are becoming available. Unfortunately, it appears that patients in other parts of the world will have access to diagnosis and treatment options long before European patients will.
The Scale of the Problem
An estimated 7 million people in Europe are already living with Alzheimer’s disease. An aging population means that number could double in less than a decade, reaching 14 million by 2030.3 The societal and economic costs are profound – an estimated €250bn by 2030.4
Stopping this rise means taking action today but European health systems are not ready. Across the EU, there is limited capacity to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’ disease. Patients around the world, including in the United States, have access to scientific innovation when Europeans do not.
Acting Now to Improve Outcomes for Europeans
To impact the staggering societal costs of Alzheimer’s disease, Europe must act now. The first step is ensuring people can access a timely and accurate diagnosis. As things stand, 75% of all dementia cases across the world go undiagnosed5, a staggering number that highlights just how unprepared our society, and health systems, really are. From low scanner capacity to a lack of access to new innovation, Europe is lagging behind.
Over recent years, there have been a number of promising developments in understanding, diagnosing, and treating Alzheimer’s disease, including the advent of cutting-edge diagnostic tests, such as blood-based biomarker testing, and new disease-modifying treatments. The potential of these new tools can only be realised if we continue to work together to ensure access is quick and equitable.
European health systems should stand ready to embrace new diagnostic technologies and disease modifying treatments. Our industry will need to be a key partner in this. Taking a collaborative approach between industry, health systems, healthcare professionals, and government, we can ensure that, together, we are working towards the same goal.
Giving time back
As we stand on the brink of transforming the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones, we need to ensure European patients are not left behind. Time, and the ability to live life to the fullest, is slipping away for millions affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Yet if we work together to prepare European health systems for timely access to diagnosis, care and treatment, with clear patient referral pathways and access to emerging innovative solutions, we can reclaim it.
We know this is important to the Alzheimer’s disease community. In fact, slowing cognitive and functional decline, and in turn reclaiming time, is considered a top priority amongst people living with Alzheimer’s disease and their loved ones.6
Decades of research across the private and public sectors is bearing fruit. At Lilly, we believe that timely detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment, can truly change the course of this disease. By embracing innovation and forging partnerships across the health ecosystem, we can restore precious moments and memories to those who need them most.
Together, we can ensure that time remains a gift, not a thief, for all those touched by Alzheimer’s disease.
References
https://www.braincouncil.eu/
In partnership with
With the institutional support of Eli Lilly and company
Ref : EU-CAR 2024-143