Alzheimer's drug rejection 'understandable' says Wiltshire charity

A dementia charity in Wiltshire has expressed it's disappointment that a potential new drug to help people living with Alzheimer's has been rejected.

The drug, called Donanemab, was blocked by the health spending watchdog, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), who said it "does not currently demonstrate value for the NHS".

Medicine regulators said the drug could be licensed for use in the UK.

It is the second time a new Alzheimer's treatment has been rejected by NICE in a matter of months.

Stephany Bardzil, from Alzheimer's Support Wiltshire, it's 'frustrating' for people who've been waiting for this kind of step forward in tackling dementia, but added that there are 'understandable reasons' why NICE made the choice they did.

"They're looking at these drugs and they're think looking at not just how expensive they are, but the fact that they have quite severe side effects," she told Greatest Hits Radio.

Around a third of people taking the drug during trials suffered significant side effects - including swelling on the brain.

Stephany added: "It's not just a question of having a tablet that's easy, it's something where they have to go into hospital to have an infusion on a regular basis, with high risk of side effects that would obviously need a lot of management. So it's not just the cost of the drug, it's all the other things around it."

She told us that those working to support people living with dementia are hopeful of something being made available soon, with Stephany saying there 'many other drugs coming down the pipeline'.

She also said that these blocks and rejections will make future medicines better and more effective.

"What people are thinking is that in the next couple of years there will be more effective, safer alternatives that are also cheaper.

"And although that's really hard to hear if you're living with this right now, in the bigger picture, it's probably a better decision now given the state of the health service and the limited funds that they have available," Stephany said.

A treatment for dementia is desperately sought after, but everyone wants one that is effective.

Stephany said that scientists are learning with every step as research continues, meaning she's confident of a treatment in the coming years.

"All the learning that's going on from these sort of imperfect trials will go into making something better in long term."