27 Jan Dementia in a Fragmented World
At OVID Health, we’re proud of the work we’ve done to-date on dementia, including with the UK Dementia Research Institute on Race to Cures and with Alzheimer’s Research UK on the call for a Dementia Medicine’s Taskforce.
But dementia isn’t just a challenge for the UK – it is the biggest non-communicable health challenge facing the world.
According to the World Health Organisation, around 55 million people have dementia globally, with over 60% living in low- and middle-income countries. As the proportion of older people in the population is increasing in nearly every country, this number is expected to rise to 78 million in 2030 and 139 million in 2050.
Clearly, the dementia challenge cannot be solved by one sector, or even one country, alone.
Squaring the circle
World leaders recently gathered in Davos under the theme: ‘Collaboration in a Fragmented World’.
With rising incidence and a lack of available treatments, dementia is a health condition that requires significant collaboration. It is underrepresented and misdiagnosed worldwide but particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, the potential contribution these countries can make to dementia research is often ignored. For instance, the UK recently announced a Major Conditions Strategy which will incorporate dementia. An extensive amount of work will be required to ensure this strategy doesn’t stretch itself too thin and overlook the opportunity for meaningful global collaboration in this space.
As discussed at Davos, low- and middle-income countries want to do more research and undertake more clinical trials. Most importantly, they have the diversity required to uncover research findings that can have a truly global impact.
Improving the clinical trials space in dementia research is fundamental to the approval of a disease modifying treatment, which will in turn necessitate earlier diagnosis. For example, Lecanemab – the most recent drug to make headlines following approval by the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this month – is a treatment for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease who have amyloid in their brain. This means that people in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease are unlikely to benefit from this drug.
Clearly there has been progress in recent years but there is much more to be done. Dementia is a global problem and it is high time we harnessed the strengths of other countries to drive real world impact.