News

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.

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 late March, ADI CEO Paola Barbarino travelled to St. Paul’s Bay, Malta to give a keynote address to the Empowering Minds: Innovation and Compassion in Dementia Care symposium hosted by the Dementia Care Directorate, Active Ageing and Community Care. This symposium focused on the symbiosis between advocacy and advancement within dementia care and research.

This month, ADI staff and representatives took part in important activity in the European region. ADI Regional Director for the Americas, Diego Aguilar, travelled to Madrid to attend the Triangular Cooperation Seminar, organised by the European Union's ADELANTE 2 Programme. ADI Head of Membership, Laura Aubert, visited ADI’s member in Czechia and attended the 19th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology in Prague. Then, ADI staff attended the World Dementia Council meeting in London for the 2025 Summit. We round off this blog by celebrating the co-founder of ADI’s member in Russia, Alzrus, Alexandra Shchetkina, for her nomination for the most prestigious Russian educational award - the Knowledge Prize.

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.

In February, ADI representatives took part in two important events in the Americas showcasing the great progress currently being made in the region.ADI Board Member Rosa Farrés attended a workshop in Peru on Advancing Brain Health, hosted by the Global Brain Health Institute at the beginning of the month. Then, ADI Regional Director for the Americas, Diego Aguilar, visited Chile to attend the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) Neuroscience Next conference, building on Chile’s recent efforts on the updating of their National Dementia Plan strategy.