Fury as 'Wonder' Alzheimer's drug WILL ONLY be offered privately in Britain - as charities rule decision by drug regulator will cause 'uncertainty and confusion' for up to a million dementia patients and their families

Fury as 'Wonder' Alzheimer's drug WILL ONLY be offered privately in Britain - as charities rule decision by drug regulator will cause 'uncertainty and confusion' for up to a million dementia patients and their families READ MORE: HALF of Alzheimer's cases may be prevented by tackling 14 factors By Kate Pickles For The Daily Mail Published: 19:52 EDT, 22 August 2024 | Updated: 20:04 EDT, 22 August 2024 e-mail View comments The first drug proven to slow down Alzheimer’s disease is being denied to dementia patients – unless they pay to go private. Regulators yesterday made two landmark decisions – granting a licence for lecanemab in the UK but then refusing to give it to NHS patients on cost grounds. It means those eligible in England can only access the drug, found to slow cognitive decline by up to six months, if they can afford tens of thousands of pounds a year for private treatment.

Last night, charities warned that the conflicting rulings will cause ‘uncertainty and confusion’ for up to a million dementia patients and their families, desperate to access treatments. David Thomas, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the decisions meant the ‘game- changing ’ drug would probably be out of reach for ‘all but the very most wealthy of individuals’. Lecanemab (pictured) has been proven to slow the progress of the memory-robbing illness in its early stages.

It was today approved by medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) .