KarunaNews Story

US health officials have endorsed the first blood test that can help diagnose Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, and identify patients who may benefit from drugs that can modestly slow the memory-destroying disease. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the test for patients 55 and older who are showing early signs. The new test, from Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., identifies a sticky brain plaque, beta-amyloid, that is a key marker for Alzheimer’s. The blood test could help expand use of two new drugs, Leqembi and Kisunla, which have been shown to slightly slow Alzheimer’s by clearing amyloid from the brain. More than 6 million people in the US and millions more around the world have Alzheimer’s.