Advancing Alzheimer Disease Care Through Earlier Diagnosis and New Therapies

The rapidly evolving Alzheimer disease treatment landscape and advances in diagnostics are changing patient care. Josean Gonzalez, PharmD, BCPP, clinical pharmacy specialist at Baptist Health South Florida, explains that Alzheimer disease was once viewed primarily as a clinical diagnosis made after symptom onset, but innovations in biomarkers, neuroimaging, and blood-based testing are helping clinicians identify disease earlier and more accurately. These advancements are particularly important as newer disease-modifying therapies emerge, shifting treatment goals toward slowing progression rather than solely managing symptoms.

Gonzalez highlights the significance of antiamyloid therapies, including lecanemab (Leqembi; Eisai, Biogen), which received FDA approval in 2023, and donanemab (Kisunla; Eli Lilly), approved in 2024. He explains that these therapies represent an important step forward because they target amyloid plaques believed to contribute to disease progression. However, Gonzalez notes that effective treatment extends beyond prescribing medications, emphasizing the importance of monitoring requirements such as MRI imaging, multidisciplinary collaboration, and careful patient selection to ensure therapies are used appropriately and safely.

The discussion also addresses major barriers that patients with Alzheimer disease continue to face, including delayed diagnosis, limited access to specialists and advanced diagnostics, and the significant burden placed on caregivers. Gonzalez underscores the important role pharmacists can play in helping address these challenges through medication optimization, polypharmacy management, patient and caregiver education, and monitoring for safety concerns. Ultimately, he emphasizes that improving access to timely diagnosis and coordinated, multidisciplinary care will be essential to helping patients benefit from the growing number of treatment options in Alzheimer disease.