Revolutionary new Alzheimer’s test awaits FDA approval

A U.S company is nearing approval for a new scanning and dye procedure which could revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s.

Philadelphia-based Avid Radiopharmaceuticals has been working for the past few years on a new dye designed to highlight in a PET scan the tell-tale plaque deposits associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

This week the company reported that that preliminary tests to gauge the accuracy and effectiveness of the procedure had showed positive results. The finding are to be presented at the an international meeting of the Alzheimer’s Association in Honolulu on July 11, pending FDA approval. If approved the new test could greatly improve the ability of doctors to diagnose Alzheimer’s and then monitor the effects of treatment. It could also be applied to to the early detection of other diseases including Parkinson’s, dementia and diabetes, the company said.

At the moment some 20 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are found not to have the plaque build up on their brains, with symptoms such as impaired memory often the result of depression, thyroid or other conditions requiring separate treatment.

In addition to enabling the more reliable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, the test would also help answer key questions about the behaviour of the disease, including the true role played by the black freckly plaque which accompanies it in the actual death of brain cells.

Alzheimer’s has been identified as one of the biggest healthcare challenges facing developed countries given the ageing of the baby boomer population. Most of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have made significant investments in beating the disease but without much success to date.