Now, after Lord Cameron’s call, the decision will be down to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which is responsible for giving the greenlight on treatments for routine NHS use.
While current treatments like lecanemab and donanemab – both of which were only available in clinical trials – have advanced the development of drugs in the field, other medication remains much cheaper and far more accessible.
Experts have already researched the risks, while more is unknown about the future of Alzheimer’s treatment, the disease which impacts around 600,000 Britons.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Decisions on whether to approve treatments for routine use by the NHS are taken independently by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, based on an evidence-based assessment of the costs and benefits, and they are currently evaluating these two treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease, and we are taking action to tackle it through improved research, care and treatment. We recently announced the investment of £33 million through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme to increase the recruitment of people into clinical studies for new dementia treatments, speeding up clinical trials and bringing promising new drugs to patients at a quicker pace.
“We are also developing the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and appointing a National Dementia Tsar to drive further progress in this area.
“But we know there is more to do, so we are also bringing forward the timetable for Baroness Casey’s commission on reform of the social care system, with support for dementia as one of the central priorities for the new National Care Service, which will drive up standards of care across the country.”