Obstacles and solutions for implementing amyloid‐targeting treatments in Europe

Abstract

Recent approvals of disease‐modifying therapies by the European Medicines Agency mark a historic shift in the treatment landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) within the European Union that will challenge national health‐care systems and require major adaptations and modernization. This Perspective article provides an overview of the major obstacles in Europe concerning successful implementation of amyloid‐targeting treatments and offers potential solutions to overcome them. Major hurdles include a lack of recognition regarding the critical importance of an early, biomarker‐based AD diagnosis; low acceptance of blood tests and digital cognitive screening tools; insufficient investment in magnetic resonance imaging capacities; and a fragmented infrastructure for clinical registries. We call on European clinicians, research institutions, and policy makers for a bold and coordinated action to urgently modernize diagnostic pathways and monitoring infrastructure to deliver novel AD treatments in a timely, safe, and equitable manner to all patients who may benefit.