Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI)
News, blogs and stories from across the field of dementia, the work of Alzheimer’s Disease International and our members.
Lecanemab is the first therapy of its kind approved in the EU that could potentially slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The use of lecanemab will now be considered by national payers, who will assess the treatment against further nationally determined criteria.
This comes as the Appeals board of the European Commission were unable to reach a verdict following the “no opinion” decision of the Standing Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use and the European Commission. The matter will now be referred the European Commission for a final decision.
In March 2025, ADI was involved in a range of engagements across the Latin American region, from high level symposiums in Curaçao and Mexico, to providing strategic input on draft bills in Argentina and the international bloc of Latin American countries MERCOSUR.
In March 2025, multiple member associations in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan conducted and participated in crucial online webinars to drive forward knowledge and expertise, helping to improve the lives of those living with dementia in the region.
In March ADI Membership Manager, Gloria Mantineo, travelled to South Africa to visit the country member association ADASA, meeting with CEO, Marlene Freislich and regional leadership teams in South Africa’s three most populous provinces Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape; to learn more about their services and gain greater insight into the work being undertaken within the country as well as the African region more broadly.
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended against granting the marketing authorisation of donanemab across the European Union’s Member States and European Economic Area (EEA). This is likely to be the second disease modifying therapy to be denied by the bloc, after the EMA declined aducanumab, leaving lecanemab as the only disease modifying therapy likely to achieve marketing authorisation.
ADI is highlighting the testimonies of those undertaking health tourism to access Alzheimer's disease treatments across the world. Recent significant advancements have led to the development of disease-modifying therapies designed to slow progression. However, access remains highly fragmented, leading to the the onset of people travelling for treatment, or health tourism, for those that have the means.
ADI is increasingly concerned by global cuts to international development funding and research, and its potential impact on dementia services and research. These cuts risk impacting the provision of vital services and critical research efforts into Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, impacting the estimated 55 million people living with dementia globally, a number which is forecast to rise to 139 million in the next 25 years.
ADI attended the World Health Organization’s 156th Executive Board, advocating for an extension to the expiring Global Action Plan on the public health response to dementia, as well as pushing for better inclusion of dementia in from Non-communicable disease policies, and the need for greater provisions for those living with dementia and carers in humanitarian situations.
ADI, in collaboration with academics from the London School of Economics, published a commentary in Nature Reviews Neurology urging governments to include dementia in NCD policies and frameworks. This paper reveals striking data, including dementia becoming the 3rd leading cause of death globally by 2040 and among the top 10 causes of death in 166 countries.