Topline
The first blood test used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for marketing Friday, meaning the laboratory test can be marketed and sold in the U.S., a significant benchmark for detection of the brain disorder that affects 10% of people aged 65 and older.
Key Facts
The diagnostic device that tests blood to help diagnose Alzheimer’s was developed by Fujirebio, a Japanese biotechnology company.
Unlike the newly cleared blood test device, other FDA-authorized or cleared Alzheimer’s tests instead used cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients collected through spinal taps—invasive procedures involving the puncture of the lumbar.
Top FDA official Michelle Tarver said the clearance makes Alzheimer’s diagnosis “easier and potentially more accessible for U.S. patients earlier in the disease.”
An FDA study found the blood test “can reliably predict” the presence of protein conditions associated with Alzheimer’s at the time of the test in cognitively impaired patients.
Big Number
6.7 million. That is the estimated number of Americans who have Alzheimer’s in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes that number is expected to double by 2060.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.