A breakthrough drug could slow Alzheimer’s. Here’s why many Canadians may not be able to access it

There are currently no approved treatments in Canada that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, only drugs to quiet symptoms as cognition worsens.

By Christina Frangou, Special to the Star

More than 120 drugs are in the pipeline, along with blood tests that will be able to detect Alzheimer’s. But should any be approved, Canada’s health systems do not have the capacity to diagnose, support and deliver these Alzheimer therapies within a reasonable window of time. Dax Melmer

Amherstburg, ONT. — When he was 64, Mike Kessler retired from his job in the auto industry because he felt like his brain wasn’t working as it should. He kept forgetting things like what day it was and the word he was looking for.

His wife, Karen, pushed their doctor for a referral to a neurologist. It took a year to see the specialist and another eight months for testing, but finally, in 2021, they had an answer: Mike had vascular dementia and mild Alzheimer’s.

Their family doctor told them that for now, there was nothing more to be done.

“When you get Alzheimer’s, you don’t even get a lollipop. It’s just you’ve got Alzheimer’s. Have a nice rest of your day,” Mike says.

There are 700,000 Canadians living with dementia, and their numbers are rapidly rising. By 2050, it’s projected that 1.1 million Canadians will have Alzheimer’s, dementia’s most common form.

For people with mild Alzheimer’s, the treatment options are often what some clinicians call “therapeutic nihilism” — no medications are offered, because nothing can change the course of disease. A person’s cognition worsens, and they move from mild to moderate to severe disease in time. There are no approved treatments in Canada that can slow this progression, only drugs to quiet symptoms.

That may soon change.

More at the Toronto Star