Start Alzheimer's treatment earlier, and life gives back a third

Jack Chapel and colleagues at the USC Schaeffer Center ran the numbers on what happens if the Alzheimer's drug donanemab — which clears the brain's amyloid plaques — is started two years earlier than in trials. The lifetime value per person rose by one-third, to $138,300, and patients spent about a year less with severe dementia, gaining precious months of living independently at home. With Alzheimer's typically diagnosed 3.5 years after symptoms first appear, the researchers say simply finding people sooner may be one of the most powerful levers medicine has. Published Oct 7 in Alzheimer's & Dementia.