Even though early detection of Alzheimer's disease is critical to ensuring a good outcome, a report by GlobalData said that blood-based tests are emerging as useful tools. The report offered accessible alternatives to PET scans and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.
More than 55 million people suffer from Alzheimer's worldwide today, and by 2050 cases are expected to triple.
Such advances in diagnostic methods help intervene with the neurodegenerative disease at the earliest opportunity, making diagnosis faster, less invasive, and less expensive. Yet, it said much remains open to question about how very much real-world difference such developments make for patient outcomes.
According to Ashley Clarke, senior medical analyst at GlobalData, the blood-based biomarker tests that are cheaper and more efficient in early assessment really leapfrogged diagnostics with the ability to be used in diagnosing conditions such as heart attacks.
"For Alzheimer's disease, reliable and accessible testing could lead to earlier detection, giving patients more time to pursue interventions and lifestyle changes", Clarke said.
According to GlobalData's Pipeline Products Database, over 150 in vitro tests for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease are currently under development. Still, the US FDA has approved fully even one blood-based Alzheimer test.
"With high negative predictive values, blood-based tests could be reliable screening tests that help reserve scarce and expensive hospital resources for PET scanning in patients most likely to actually need them", Clarke says.
Currently, there are at least five pipeline devices in the US and Europe that have gone through regulatory approval. As stated by reports from GlobalData, ethical and regulatory problems are still prevalent.
A huge concern is that such testing will lead to overdiagnosis, sensitive health information exposure, and altered insurance premiums due to results obtained from these tests.
The report concluded that predictive testing also raises questions of informed consent and the potential psychological effects for patients who will find out they are at risk in a disease for which there is yet no cure.