News

From in-person high level engagements in Lima to Buenos Aires, to a digital campaign partnership providing regionally specific resources, May has proven to be an action-packed month in the Americas region. ADI Regional Director for the America’s provides his highlights from across the region including advocacy work in Argentina and Peru, alongside a public awareness campaign in partnership with the Carlos Slim Foundation.

The 78th World Health Assembly has been a whirlwind week for ADI as, after 18-months of advocacy, the World Health Assembly has agreed to extend the Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia by 6-years, to 2031.

Marketing authorisation has been granted for donanemab (Kisunla) in Australia, following announcements from Brazil, and Mexico, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.  The authorisations in Brazil and Mexico were granted in April 2025, with the announcement of the Australian approval on 21 May 2025.

On 29 April 2025, ADI Regional Director for the Americas, Diego Aguilar attended the Symposium on Brain Health Promotion: Towards a National Dementia Plan in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during which key political figures, international experts, civil society leaders, and advocates joined the call for the urgent approval of Argentina’s first National Dementia Plan.

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.

This month, ADI CEO Paola Barbarino and ADI Director of Research and Publications, Wendy Weidner, travelled to the East Coast of the United States to meet with leading researchers, universities, and industry innovators to discuss recent advancements in the research and innovation sphere of dementia care.

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.