Last week several news channels reported about the newly approved medication for Alzheimer’s with titles such as ‘No more Alzheimer’s’ and ‘New Hope for people with Alzheimer’s’.
A few people sent me on WhatsApp asking if such medications will be available in Oman and how to get them prescribed for their loved ones who have Alzheimer’s.
I had to structure my response to be more realistic without killing any glimpse of hope or sounding ‘anti-science’. It has been over 20 years since the last medication for Alzheimer’s was approved and several clinical trials for medication that could alter the lives of over 50 million people around the world were deemed unsuccessful so it’s understandable that patients and their caregivers would be excited about such a news.
Some organisations started demanding this medication to be made available to patients with Alzheimer’s and started accusing health authorities who were reluctant to discriminate against this group of patients.
Some family members were prepared to get it from other countries and have it administered to their loved ones and pay for it but before getting too emotional.
Let us examine a few scientific facts about such medications.
First, according to scientific research, the newly approved medication targets particular chemical changes in the brain that are believed to cause the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Yet this applies only to people who are confirmed to have Alzheimer’s disease and not other dementia and only those in the early stages of the disease before further damage occurred.
The drug, while showing promising results in delaying the progression of the disease, is by no means a ‘cure for Alzheimer’s’. It also has serious side effects and it costs around $32,000 per year (just under Riyal Omani 1,000 per month).
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of a group of conditions known as dementia ‘or more scientifically, cognitive disorders.’
These conditions usually affect people over the age of 60 but in some cases, people can get it in their forties.
It is a devastating condition that causes distress to patients and their close family members. While most people associate dementia with memory loss the symptoms include memory loss that disrupts daily life, poor judgment, leading to bad decisions, losing track of dates or knowing the current location, and taking longer to complete normal daily tasks such as eating or getting dressed.
As the disease progresses the person becomes more dependent on others and may exhibit behaviour such as agitation, aggression, and refusing care.
Eventually, the person becomes bedridden needing full care. In most Middle Eastern countries, a family member such as a spouse, a son, or a daughter becomes the main caregiver.
A recent survey conducted by Alzheimer’s Disease International showed people around the world still have negative attitudes toward Alzheimer’s which hinders people from getting early diagnosis and support.
This is why September is World Alzheimer's Month and is dedicated to raising public awareness and urging governments to provide better service for people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
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